Midway Hollow Crime Watch FAQs
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The number of extra police patrol hours we can purchase is completely dependent on the number of paying crime watch members. If only an extra 3% of the neighborhood would become crime watch members, we could purchase 5 more patrol hours each week. That is significant because we’ve seen crime decrease by roughly 30% each time we’ve increased ENP hours in Midway Hollow.
Crime watch members also get information directly from the ENP police officers, and can leave voicemail messages for them. Month after month, we see that crime watch members are rarely victims of theft or property damage. Why? Because they are more informed and connected with the police. They know how to avoid being an easy target to thieves.
Finally, less crime in our neighborhood obviously increases quality of life, but it also makes the neighborhood more attractive to home buyers. So joining the crime watch can have a direct impact on your home’s value and your wallet.
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With the current number of paying members, we aren’t able to afford 24*7 hours per week of extra, dedicated patrol from the Dallas Police Department. That leaves times when they are NOT on duty. These patrol hours are often after people have left for work in the mornings, or in the middle of the night – depending on the current (and constantly changing) crime trends.
When on duty, the officers do not only patrol the main streets – they spend a good amount of time in the alleys where a lot of our neighborhood’s property crime originates. In all, Midway Hollow has over 15 miles of streets and alleys. The officers cover as much of the neighborhood as they can with each shift, while also making sure they cover the areas that are known to have more crime.
So you may not see the police officers every day, but they are patrolling our streets and alleys and making sure our entire neighborhood is covered. They are also plugged into the DPD’s Northwest Patrol Division – making sure that Midway Hollow’s interests are being represented, and also making sure that both the Northwest Patrol as well as the ENP is reacting to current crime trends.
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Anytime. Click the “Pay Membership Dues” link at the top of the page.
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The boundaries of the Midway Hollow Crime Watch are very broad and include over 2,300 homes. Midway Hollow stretches from Walnut Hill Lane to Northwest Highway, and Midway Road to Marsh Lane. Please note that the Midway Hollow Crime Watch does not extend coverage into the gated communities off of Northwest Highway.
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The Expanded Neighborhood Patrol is a program administered by the Dallas Police Department in which the Midway Hollow Crime Watch purchases extra, dedicated patrol hours specifically for our neighborhood.
During these ENP hours, a uniformed Dallas police officer will patrol our neighborhood in a marked Dallas police car. The officer will immediately respond to any 9-1-1 calls and home burglary alarms originating in Midway Hollow, and will not leave our neighborhood to respond to other calls. The objective is to raise police presence and decrease crime in our neighborhood.
The Dallas police officers who participate in our neighborhood’s ENP are a small group of dedicated officers. They are experts in our neighborhood and our area’s crime trends. In several cases, they are or have been living in our neighborhood! They have a vested interest in raising police presence and decreasing crime in Midway Hollow.
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Without question! Before Midway Hollow participated in the ENP program just a few years ago, we would have as many as 50 offenses each month in our neighborhood. Today, we average 8 or fewer offenses. And we see significant drops in crime each time we’ve been able to raise the number of weekly ENP hours.
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The number of hours that we are able to purchase depends upon the number of paying members. In order to reach our goal of 24*7 hours per week we must have a good portion of the neighborhood as members. As membership increases or decreases, so will the number of extra, dedicated patrol hours that the Midway Hollow Crime Watch is able to purchase from the Dallas Police Department.
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Pricing can be found on the Membership page. Over 98% of the dues goes to purchasing extra, dedicated patrol hours from the Dallas Police Department and to establish a small safeguard fund, which allows us to keep purchasing patrol hours in times of low membership. The remaining percentage of dues is used for community activities, yard signs, accounting, and administrative costs such as membership drive mailers, website hosting, and voicemail services.
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Our Monthly Newsletters include Midway Hollow’s crime statistics for the previous month, a variety of crime prevention tips and tricks from our ENP police officers, and other neighborhood announcements.
Paying Midway Hollow Crime Watch members are also sent a Crime Bulletin when a threat that is considered especially serious or time-sensitive by the ENP police officers is identified. For example, when a person or vehicle that is wanted in connection with a crime is believed to be in our neighborhood, and the police need our help.
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Absolutely. Renters and homeowners alike are encouraged to participate in and benefit from the Crime Watch and the ENP. Often times, ENP dues are split between tenants and landlords. Check with your landlord!
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Midway Hollow Crime Watch
PO Box 670462
Dallas, TX 75367
Membership FAQs
Can I pay by the quarter or by the month?
Not at this time. The program is administered by volunteers and we want to streamline the payment process by only having two times a year that we renew memberships. The current membership periods are April 1 through September 30, and October 1 through March 31.
Once I pay online, or send in my membership form and payment, when do I get my yard sign?
Once your membership form and payment is received, your yard sign will typically be delivered within two weeks. You will also receive a “welcome” e-mail with the ENP voicemail number as well as the ways to stay connected to the Midway Hollow Crime Watch.
Can I pay by credit card?
Yes! Look for the “Pay Membership Dues” link at the top of the page.
Can I purchase extra yard signs?
Yes! Additional signs are a great deterrent for back fences, garages, or if your home is on a corner lot with an alley entrance. If you are a currently paying crime watch member, just send an e-mail to [email protected] for more information.
How do I get the number to leave a voicemail message for the ENP police officers?
You will receive a welcome e-mail within about two weeks after paying your dues. The voicemail number will occasionally change from one session to another, so please hold on to the welcome e-mail for the entire membership session session. If you did not receive the welcome e-mail, or have misplaced it, please e-mail [email protected] to get the current phone number.
What happens if I move after I’ve paid my dues?
Midway Hollow Crime Watch membership will transfer to the new owners of the house for the remainder of the period. If your home is on the market, paying the Crime Watch dues is a fantastic selling point!
Why am I not receiving the crime bulletins and monthly newsletter?
Please check your spam folder to make sure our e-mails are not being trapped by your e-mail provider. If our e-mails are in your spam folder, please mark it as “not spam” to ensure delivery in the future. You should also add the e-mail address “[email protected]” to your e-mail address book.
If you have added our e-mail address to your address book, do not see our e-mails in your spam folder, and are still not receiving your monthly newsletters, please send an e-mail to [email protected] to ensure that we have your correct e-mail address on file.