In 1984, neighbors installed rubberized matting, new equipment, benches and a backstop for the ballfield. Four years later, the city added a cable ride, rebuilt the infield and put in a drainage and irrigation system. Signs proclaiming that the Triangle is protected by a neighborhood crime watch are on almost every street corner. The neighborhood is a safe place to live, Talan says, and the crime watch only becomes active when there's a problem. Here, someone is likely to look out the window and call the cops.
Drug dealers get the word in a hurry.
There are plenty of neighborhoods where people look the other way. Johnson had a key to an elderly neighbor's house and would check on her. Simple gestures are very important. If you see someone's garbage can isn't put away, you put it away for them. Two neighbors then went to check the house.