Patrol Report

Thomas Catri

Neighborhood watches used to be a very effective way to keep an eye on your community. There’s a way to keep more eyes on our community safety, and that would involve pet owners. Fight crime while out walking your dog. I’ve been walking my golden retriever Sunny just about every late night since 2008, and even living in different communities, I have called the police or sheriff many times reporting suspicious activity. If you routinely walk your dog, why not keep an eye on suspicious behavior or, better yet, look out for your neighbor. And the people who do this feel like they’re making a positive contribution. The Chandler Police Department recently launched Dog Walking Watch to encourage dog owners to be more vigilant while out with their pooches. For more information, call Chandler Police at 480-782-4962.

There’s hot and then there’s hot. The Phoenix metro area sweats through too many months of 100 degrees or higher and too many weeks of 110 degrees or more. Did you know that heat is the number one weather-related killer in Arizona? It’s very hard to take a picture of heat, and that’s why it gets less attention than things like tropical storms, lightning and floods. This Arizona heat is a lot more than a nuisance; it’s dangerous and lethal. Nobody is immune, but some are more at risk than others. In addition to protecting yourself from the potentially deadly heat, we should also look out for the most vulnerable among us. If you have elderly friends or neighbors or know somebody in SunBird who is dealing with a serious illness, please check in on them, if you’re not already doing so. You can make sure their home is cool (AC working properly) enough and that they have everything they need.

The City of Chandler offers FREE bulk pickup. The Patrol continues to see large bulk items (TV’s, sofas, a mattress, etc.) to be thrown away placed in the garbage pickup facilities next to the black garbage cans. This is especially an ongoing problem at the garbage facility at the south side of the adult pool. The Waste Management drivers who pick up our garbage in the black and blue containers will not exit their trucks to manually put those bulky items into the huge trucks they operate. That’s not their job to do. For those of you who are new to Chandler or just were unaware of these services, the City of Chandler offers bulk pickup for all its residents. If you are paying for City of Chandler refuse services, you can receive one FREE curbside bulk pickup every six weeks. All you have to do is call the Solid Waste Services Department at 480-782-3510, and they will come right to your door and pick up items that are too large to fit inside the trash or recycling containers.