There have been several postings about crime in the neighborhood lately. It's natural to be concerned about crime, but this is still a low-crime area. Be on alert, take reasonable precautions, and engage with your neighbors as they can be your eyes and ears when you're not around. If you are concerned, some steps you can take include: 1. Attend Thursday's HPCC community meeting. Representatives from Pittsburgh Police's Zone 5 come to each meeting, present an update, and ask for questions and feedback. The meeting will start at 7 pm at St. Andrew's Church, 5801 Hampton St. 2. Subscribe to Zone 5's weekly email update at https://pittsburghpa.gov/police/police-zone5 . 3. Join the HPCC's Public Safety committee. Members are invited to attend monthly Zone 5 public safety meetings and take the lead on public safety issues for the HPCC. 4. Keep your properties well lit at night with regular or motion-activated lights. 5. Install cameras on your property. 6. Do not leave packages, bicycles, and other personal property outside. 7. If you're going out of town, have your paper and mail held, ask neighbors to pick up any parcels, and leave internal and external lights on. 8. Always lock your cars, even in your garage and when you are warming them up, and do not leave any valuables in them. 9. Call 911 if you observe any suspicious behavior. At our last meeting, Commander Vinansky mentioned that some people who go door to door offering to shovel snow are actually scoping out houses. He asked that you call them if someone is knocking on doors. He assured us that people won't be harassed, but that the police will try to verify that they have honest intentions -- if not, they will likely run when they see the police. Hope to see you Thursday - Stephanie Walsh HPCC President *Highland Park Community Council* Visit our website by clicking here. <https://hpccpgh.org/>