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Crime & Safety

Neighborhood Watch Forges Crime-Busting Partnership

The Menomonee Falls Neighborhood Watch, Police Department and Waste Management brought the Waste Watch program to the village in early April.

Menomonee Falls now has an additional set of eyes and ears looking out for community safety.

The , and Waste Management brought the Waste Watch program to the village in early April.

The program trains Waste Management employees to be more aware of their surroundings while they complete their routes and puts them in closer contact with authorities.

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Drivers are trained to identify suspicious activity, like people snooping through garbage, out of place vehicles or doors that are left open. 

“We have a special crew of security specialists within the company that does the training, but we also like to engage with local law enforcement,” said Lynn Morgan, spokesperson for Waste Management.

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If the drivers see anything suspicious, they’re asked to contact the company dispatcher using the existing communication system in their trucks.  The dispatcher will then coordinate with the appropriate officials.  There are no costs associated with the program.

“This is just one more tool we can use to promote safety,” said Bill Schmitz, the president of Menomonee Falls Neighborhood Watch.  He went on to say that the program is practical because garbage men are in the community all the time and would be more likely to notice if something were wrong.

The Waste Watch program has already been in effect in numerous other communities nationwide.  According to Morgan, the Green Bay area was the first in Wisconsin to get the program.  Germantown has also had a similar program for a few years already. 

Menomonee Falls Neighborhood Watch considered bringing the program to the community over a year ago but didn’t take action until more recently.  Bill Eisch, the district manager for Waste Management, presented details of the program at the March Neighborhood Watch meeting, showing a video that explained how drivers would communicate with the police department.

“We urged Waste Management to fire up the program with the new manager,” said Lowell Carl, the treasurer of Neighborhood Watch.

This extra help for law enforcement is not designed to make up for any cuts to funding.  The budget for public safety has remained about the same in the past years, according to village budget summaries.

“We introduced the program not because of a need, but because of the opportunity to enhance current programs,” Schmitz said.

He said he plans to promote the program in the community.

“Hopefully the bad guys will also be aware,” he said.

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