Criminals beware — this neighborhood watch is packing heat.
Neighbors in a Milwaukie, Ore. residential area have taken security measures into their own hands after disappointment in local law enforcement and neighborhood watch initiatives.
Homemade flyers reading “This is a Glock block. We don’t call 911” accompanied by an image of a Glock handgun have been posted around the neighborhood by a newly-formed group.
“We don’t feel neighborhood watch is sufficient, and we don’t feel the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office is sufficient,” the group’s organizer Coy Toloman told the local news station KOIN on Monday.
An increase in petty crime like vandalism and stolen lawn ornaments has caused aggravation among residents of the unincorporated Clackamas county neighborhood. And they have now decided to take control.
After witnessing a man steal a statue off her front porch and unsuccessfully trying to apprehend him, Tolomon was persuaded to obtain her concealed carry permit.
“I will defend myself and my home,” she told the local news.
According to Toloman, most of her Milwaukie neighbors are also permitted to carry. Toloman and her neighbors feel that by publicizing their willingness to use guns for self-defense purposes, thieves in the neighborhood with the intention of committing bolder crimes might now think otherwise.
While the Clackamas County Sherriff’s office appreciates the passion for safety these residents have, continued collaboration between the police and people is recommended.
“We recognize that gun ownership is a right, but it comes with a lot of responsibility and really knowing that you’re ready to deal with an alarming event, that comes with even more responsbility,” Sergeant Robert Wurpes of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office told Red Alert Politics.
The Sherriff’s department also voiced concern that the flyers might inadvertently be advertising the presence of firearms to be stolen from one’s house.
