Hillside-Woodland neighborhood group shares break-in news

PlainfieldWatch is the neighborhood's online presence.

Without daily coverage by the newspapers, Plainfielders have to rely on a hodgepodge of sources -- including the blogs and whatever news they cobble together. But some neighborhoods have turned to the Internet to help cope with modern life.

Consider the following email I received late last evening -- after a circuitous route --

This past Tuesday (September 25), from neighbors on Chetwynd Ave --

My husband and I walked out of our home this morning [Tuesday] at 6:05am to leave for work (we commute together) and found, much to our dismay, our 2003 Honda Civic in total disarray (which may or may not be the understatement of the week!).

Our little car, parked in our driveway, was not just broken into, but completely stripped of its interior!!! The front 2 bucket seats, the back seat, the gear shift, a few components on the steering column, and the floor mats - GONE!!! The driver's side window had been broken out, the hood popped to disconnect the battery, and all of the above removed through the driver's side door - the passenger side door and the rear hatch were still locked and untouched.

We are not well acquainted with criminal elements, but this clearly portrays the work of professional chop shop goons."

(The above is an excerpt from an open email to councilman Rashid Burney.)

Appended to that email were notations of the following property crimes, also within the past week --

• Date unknown (but in the past week): A car was broken into and a laptop stolen from a car on Martine Avenue shortly after the car owner went into the house.

• Date unknown (also in the past week): All four tires were stolen from a car on Putnam Avenue.

The Hillside Area Neighborhood Watch (HANW) is an example of an active group that effectively uses an email chain to alert its members and neighbors of criminal activity in the neighborhood, as well as news about the larger community.

I would be happy to share stories of other neighborhood groups, block watches and others who have developed online communications networks.

-- Dan Damon

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