Morningside Crime Watch



1420 East McGalliard Road

Muncie, Indiana U.S.A.



Crime Watch Coordinator : Ervin Davis

This Homepage document was first published : 29 Nov. 1997
Expanded : 20 May 1998
Up-dated : 14 Dec. 1998, 8 March 1999, 16 June 1999, and
Up-dated : 26 Oct. 99, 6 Nov. 99, 1 May 2000, 15 Dec. 2000
Last Up-dated : 1 January 2001


~ ORIGIN ~

MORNINGSIDE CRIME WATCH is the oldest and largest continuous operational Crime Watch in eastern Indiana
MORNINGSIDE CRIME WATCH originated in 1980 as a loose confederation of concerned citizen residents in an area roughly one square mile in size, located on the northeastern edge of Muncie, Indiana, consisting of 542 homes on 878 property lots positioned on thirty-four (34) city blocks, with a population of roughly 2,000 persons, which includes the neighborhoods of Morningside, McCormick, Sunnydale, T.J. Bailey and the surrounding vicinity, which also includes a business district along two sides of our perimeter -- on the west by Broadway (S.R. # 3 & 67) and on our southern side by McGalliard Road (S.R. # 332).
By 1980 the name "Morningside" had become notorious as a descriptive word for a neighborhood with out-of-control crime problems.
The years of 1979 and 1980 were the wake-up call, when existing problems esculated while Broadway (State Roads 3 & 67) bordering our western perimiter was turned into an adult entertainment 'Sex Strip' : with Massage Parlors, Prostitution, and Adult Book (Pornography) Stores equipped with masterbation peep show booths.
Some bothersome customers attracted to such situations would become sexually arroused then cruse into our adjacent neighborhoods looking for a child or woman or teenage boy to seek sexual favors from, or simply to lurk about on foot window peeking into homes, or exposing themselves.
Alot of money was being made along the "Broadway Sex Strip" and no ones profit picture seemed to include privacy concerns or safety of neighborhood residents. Rumors circulated about high level bribes, which led to investigations by County, State and Federal authorities, followed by a Grand Jury investigation of high level City politicians.
Elimentary school children walking home from bus stops were routinely being propositioned by well dressed grown men driving shiney new cars unknown in our neighborhood. Tearful mothers whispered about fears of additional children being abducted and raped. Children were in danger and scared, teenagers were outraged, and parents were angry.
Crime was increasing so rapidly that it became clear to very frightened residents that the Muncie City Police Department, acting alone, no longer had the ability to address the crime problems that faced Morningside residents.
So the common concern that brought us together was family safety and the lowering of neighborhood crime occurances within our respective area (of Morningside, McCormick & T.J. Bailey Addition),..... and the vehicle we used was MORNINGSIDE CRIME WATCH.
Our basic emphasis was on citizens and 'any cooperative' law enforcement agency working closer together to reduce criminal opportunity, crime activity block by block, learning to be observant, becoming crime aware "eyes and ears" for the Police, and cooperating with one another to solve many of our own internal problems ourselves without the need of authorities interveening.
For a description of our current Y2001 status, Click here.





~ 210 MAN-YEARS OF SERVICE ~

In 1997 our existing Morningside & McCormick Crime Watch Block Captains were recognized for having all together accumulated two-hundred and ten (210) man-YEARS of volunteer services here in Muncie, Indiana.
Back then in 1997 we had twenty-two (22) Block Captains and ten (10) Block Helpers, (that included Alternates) serving our area.
In 1997, eleven of those devoted Block Captains had been with us over eleven (11) years, five of those as long as seventeen (17) years in 1997.
Today, in Y2000, our oldest Block Captains have been with us some TWENTY YEARS.





~ MOTTO ~

Our Motto for Morningside CRIME WATCH is :
  • "YOU only get out of something what YOU put into it ! "




Morningside-Crime-Watch

~ BLOCK CAPTAINS ~

    During our early years peak, we had thirty-nine (39) "Block Captains" with fifty-four (54) "Block Alternates" and "Block Helpers" -- (Helpers from age 6 to 82) -- who acquired a resident support base of signature verifications from (542) five-hundred-fourty-two homes of our target area.
    Morningside Crime Watch "Block Captains" are now selected following a probationary period serving as "Block Helpers" and when they have had adequate experience in aiding their respective Crime Watch Block Captain they become "Block Alternates", then Block Captain.
      • BLOCK HELPERS : Adult supervised volunteers who are younger than twenty one (21) years of age or those learning how to volunteer for Crime Watch services are designated as "Block Helpers".
        We have had "Block Helpers" as young as six(6) years old. A couple of those helpers who began around age six are now still involved as teens, while others are adults with their own children.
      • BLOCK CAPTAIN : Age requirement is twenty-one (21) years of age. We have had "Block Captains" as old as eighty-two years (82).
        Visit our Morningside Crime Watch Block Captains site to learn more about our Block Captains.


~ DEMOGRAPHICS ~

For access to MORNINGSIDE CRIME WATCH area neighborhoods demographics : Click here






~ PROJECTS ~

Our MORNINGSIDE CRIME WATCH Block Captains provide access to information about crime prevention, public safety, and community resource information supportive of those concerned law abiding residents within their respective coverage areas.

By Y2000 MORNINGSIDE CRIME WATCH has been instrumental for some twenty (20) years in such areas as :

  • Project Identification
  • National Night Out promotion
  • Reduction of residential crime
  • Cellular Phone and C.B. Patrol
  • Reduction of business burglaries
  • Gang alternative activities for youth
  • Family / Youth oriented Santa's Party and Easter Egg Hunt
  • Walk & drive around crime awareness and reporting activity.
  • Elimination of open Gang activity : graffiti and wearing colors
  • Promoted the aqusition and development of Morningside Park
  • Morningside Crime Watch Newsletter and home deliverey
  • Free home or business perimeter security inspection and
    suggestions for improvements
  • Temporary summer job placement assistance for adults and youth
  • Promote & provide resource support for other Crime Watch groups
  • Influenced twenty (20) years of infrastructure and other improvements
  • Provide resource support for Community Oriented Policing Shops
  • Awareness materials about Crime, Gangs, Safety, Education,
    Community Resources, any available Grants, etc.
  • The largest undertaking in several years has been the annual
    "KIDs DAY" event, that I helped create and have co-chaired since
    its origins in 1997 with its planning and implementation, along with
    Mr. Ed Parton and Mrs. Darlene Price (both are from McKinley Neighborhood
    Association, across from Muncie Central H. S.).
      To see some pictures and read the reports that outline the annual
      KIDs DAY events just click on any of the following links : [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]





~ PUBLICATIONS ~

During previous years, due to not having been provided crime prevention
materials from our Muncie Police Department, it has become a time
consuming and personal cost investment effort to contact other law
enforcement agencies to get such materials and to make my own
materials to pass out freely addressing the needs in our ten
crime prone Muncie COP Shop neighborhoods.
Some of those more noteworthy publications have included :

      • "Morningside Crime Watch Newsletter" : (Circulation 1,000)
      • "CRIME : Prevention and Awareness" : (pub. 1997)
      • "GANGS : Awareness and Prevention Manual" : (pub. 1997)
      • "GANGS : Awareness, Prevention & Alternatives" : (pub. 97)
      • " KIDs DAY : Community Togetherness" : (pub.1998)
      • "Crime Watch Manual : Suggestions on How To Start a Crime Watch" ...; Page Number : [1] (pub.1998),[2] (pub.1998),
        [3] (pub.1998),[4] (pub.1998),[5] (pub.1998)


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MORNINGSIDE CRIME WATCH is the





~ OUTSIDE SUPPORT ~

A strong support support base is essential in any organization, and although I appreciate the years of help we have received from many of the fine residents living within our neighborhood, there have been occational contributions from organizations based outside our neighborhood who have helped us make projects happen in our past, present and in our future. Some of those community projects otherwise could not have been accomplished in such manners without their donation support ;




~ WISH LIST ~

By working together in our neighborhoods we have made alot of benifical differance but alot more could be done with additional assistance, especially if local government wanted to make posative changes in neighborhoods, or provided information about available Grants and provisions to secure such grants at the neighborhood levels, or other resources local government might provide to our volunteers. Instead of available assistance, local government more frequently enjoys teaseing volunteers with evasive promises of assistance then moving Goal Posts of requirements further and further away from securement, while spending neighborhood assistance grants on other 'pet projects'.

If you have a surplus of anything, we will take donations, and if we can't use a donated item it will be passed on to other Crime Watch groups and /or Neighborhood Associations who can use it to help their neighborhood needs that are not being met by local government in our Muncie community.

Our resources are so hurting that some volunteers use our only resource, household bill payment money, given away to help others less fortunate and to support our crime prevention activity.
One example of our deperation is when one our Morningside Crime Watch volunteers wanted to have a Christmas Party for children, but we spend so much of our personal family money filling gaps abandoned by City Hall that no such funds exist, so she sold her Blood Plasma then put that money towards a brighter Christmas for our neighborhood children in 1999. Click here to see that Christmas Party.





We can immeadiatly use any of the following donation considerations :
  • Laminator : Page size
    • A donation to Hyatt Printing or Kinko etc in our behalf would be great.
  • Vehicle : Anything as long as it runs
  • Communications radios : Working or non-working CB, FRS, Ham, PD
  • Scanner : Flat bed is preferred if any options are available
  • FAX Machine : Plain paper is preferred if options are available
  • Book Binding : Spiral booklet machine, backing glue, cover stock
  • Computer : One that would support scanning documents / drawings




~ PROBLEMS ~

Hardly anything you do is void of some kind of problems and certainly on occasion that holds true when non-paid concerned citizen volunteers step forward to offer help to the less fortunate in their community and then encounter an occasional individual holding powerful paid positions who apparently aren't as self motivated as the volunteers. THEN that is a strong percieved indication that inside such an administration : "The tail is wagging the dog !"

'Public pretender' Politicians and their 'coat tail appointees' can transform your neighborhoods into crime ridden quagmires from neglect and excuses,.... or they can make neighborhoods safe if responsible responses are provided,.... so unite and also be sure who you vote for.



~ CONTACT ME ~

You are cordially invited to share your ideas, resource information and ideas about crime reduction efforts in your community.
And if I can help with your crime prevention goals I'll
certainly try to offer suggestions.
Also, if you can possibly benifit from suggestions to help stimulate ideas about creating your own Crime Watch group, please feel free to check out what I have provided for your assistance in the pages of my Crime Watch Manual.

You can reach me by :
MAIL at : Mr. Ervin Davis - President / Coordinator, Morningside Crime Watch
c/o C.O.P. Shop Number Ten, 1420 E. McGalliard Road
Muncie, Indiana 47303 PHONE : (765) 747-4890 or (765) 289-8278

E-MAIL : Ervin Davis crimewatch@juno.com

Since this page was published again on 7 December 1997 it has
been visited times.



" YOU only get out of something what YOU put into it ! "



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