By Roy Harris
Director of Security – BTN HOA
Bent Tree North residents live here and love the neighborhood for many reasons. One of the foremost is the low incidence of crimes and criminal activity, petty or otherwise. As we have mentioned in the past , BTN has been rated as one of the top ten safest community areas in Dallas
Our Enhanced Neighborhood Patrol (ENP) is a major reason for our low crime level. Our successful membership drive in 2020 allowed us to maintain the ENP quality and number of patrol hours. Remember, roughly 65% of the HOA dues go to supporting the cost of the ENP. As a reminder, the ENP monitors members’ homes while they areout of town.
The other key factor in our low crime rate is homeowner consciousness. I can’t say enough about this security booster. Many of you subscribe to, or are on, the “Next Door” App, or “Bent Tree Moms” Facebook page. It’s not hard to see that our neighbors are tuned in to what goes on in BTN and are diligent about monitoring for any unusual activities. Homeowner consciousness is absolutely essential to maintaining our wonderful neighborhood. We must not relax our vigilance in this area.
Many of us would consider the following tips and reminders are common sense, but most of the few offenses we have encountered were the result of negligence.
- Lock all doors and windows
- If you park a vehicle outside, lock it. Remove valuables from your car. Do not leave a garage door opener in a car parked outside.
- Make sure your garage door is closed before you go to bed at night.
- Most of us know our neighbors and are familiar with all normal day-to-day happenings on our block or cul-de-sac. This familiarity also makes you aware of abnormal or unusual activities. Keep an eye out for those and act accordingly.
- Consider installing a “smart” doorbell and other video surveillance devices. In addition to giving the homeowner a higher level of security, video recording from this equipment has been utilized by the DPD in solving neighborhood crimes.
Let’s all work together to keep Bent Tree North safe and beautiful!
