NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH GROUP UPDATE – June 5, 2019
To the best of our knowledge, we have not had any reports of vandalism or burglaries in over two years. Our slogan “If you see something, say something” has definitely had an impact and we appreciate everyone for watching out for each other and their property.
However, a major problem continues with the improper usage of ATV’s on private land or electrical easements, children not wearing helmets, and people driving too fast on our gravel roads. There have been many reports of “close accidents” especially on some of the curves. PLEASE SLOW DOWN. Also, when you have company let them know where they can and cannot ride ATV’s, etc.
At the May 25th Annual Meeting we had three representatives from our local law enforcement agencies along with a drug sniffing dog. Both Sheriff Tony Mace, Cibola County Sheriff’s Dept., and Under Sheriff Paul Lucero, McKinley County Sheriff’s Dept., reported that they are now going to be at full staff again. The new recruits, though, need further training on the job which will take time. Under Sheriff Lucero said that he would provide us with some Watch Group information and suggested that we have monthly meetings. If you have any comments on this suggestion, please let us know. Sgt, Morales from McKinley County Sheriff’s Dept. and his partner, a beautiful lab named, Rocky, shared a lot of interesting stories indicating that Rocky was never wrong in assessing a drug situation. Both counties are working well to help each other and are patrolling our areas as often as possible considering the large areas they cover,
We are scheduling our Annual Watch Group Meeting for Tuesday, July 23rd at 6 p.m. in the Rock Room at the TRLA Community Center. The Ramah Volunteer Fire Dept. will also give us an update on fire conditions, etc. at that time. An update from the Fire Mitigation Committee will also be given. Please attend so you can ask questions and give us suggestions. Or, better yet, VOLUNTEER to help as a Volunteer Coordinator for the Watch Group or Volunteer for the Fire Dept.
As a reminder, you are encouraged to have the green TRLA landowner sticker on the
front windshield on all your vehicles. You can pick these up at the meeting on July
23rd, or from Mary Jo Wallen (505-
If you see suspicious people or vehicles, please try to get a license plate number and description of the vehicle or person. Call 911 immediately for assistance and if a police report is filed, it would be helpful if you provided a copy to Mary Jo or Nancy. Never confront anyone by yourself. Since we have seven homes or garages being constructed this summer, there are a lot of contractors and trucks coming in and out of the area. So, again, be aware, but it is not necessary to report every vehicle that is not known to you unless they are doing something suspicious.
TRLA ANNUAL NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH GROUP MEETING MINUTES 2018
We had a very successful meeting on the evening of July 18th at the Ranch House with
30-
From Cibola County, Under Sheriff Mike Monk and Sgt. Nick Wadford
From McKinley County, Sheriff Silversmith and Lt. Rocky Kalein
Both counties now have a close relationship and assist each other in joint narcotics and DWI programs.
Nick Wadford is a retired Secret Service employee and now heads up the Cibola’s tactical team (Tier 1 swat team) and participates in the SSU program (Safe Streets Unit).
One landowner mentioned a problem with motorized vehicles driving on a power line. It was suggested that some signs be installed indicating this is not allowed. Mary Jo Wallen said she would mention at the July 21st Board meeting. Mary Jo mentioned that Timberlake has not had any vandalism reports in over a year and a half (thank goodness). However, instances like this as well as more suspicious vehicles/persons have been reported. Our “See Something Say Something” program has greatly increased awareness. We appreciate everyone who participates daily. Please remember, if you can get a vehicle description and license plate number (as well as a photo), you can provide to Mary Jo Wallen, Nancy Wills, or a Board Member so that we can determine if a landowner owns an abandoned vehicle, etc. It is also a great idea to have the green TRLA window sticker on all your vehicles.
When calling 911, please make sure you indicate your need Metro Dispatch and you are located in Timberlake Ranch in Ramah and indicate your county. Another reminder is that you should have your rural/street address in plain site at the end of your driveway for all emergency vehicles.
Both Sheriff Silversmith and Undersheriff Monk talked about their staff shortages
as well as the District State Police Office closing this year. Four deputies from
McKinley County just left for Albuquerque where they got a $7,500 sign-
Cibola County’s financial situation isn’t the best and all new hires have been frozen for quite some time. Cibola is under audit. The Sheriff’s Dept. has always met their budget, but unfortunately, are included in the entire County’s budget situation with Santa Fe legislatures making final decisions. It was suggested that Timberlake landowners get more involved in the County Commissioners meetings, senate hearings, etc. to discuss positive solutions. (Both counties have gotten extra money to purchase tactical equipment from “go fund me accounts” and grants). Cibola County got a $20,000 donation from one anonymous person thru a “go fund me account” to pay for all new tactical equipment. Cibola County is currently down 8 officers. Coverage area is 5,800 square miles with the last census of 20,000 people. McKinley County covers 6,000 square miles and is not controlled by the State like Cibola County, so they can hire new trainees, etc. McKinley County is down 10 people. McKinley County also has an agreement that they have to help the Navajo Nation
FBI has indicated that NM is one of the highest states for crime (#2 behind Alaska).
Gallup has serious problems with drugs and DWI’s. I-
McKinley County has had 9 violent crimes so far this year (fatal crashes involving alcohol). An officer is then tied up for 10 hours taking care of paperwork. The Juvenile Detention Center in Gallup has closed, so juveniles must be taken to San Juan or Bernalillo. Cibola County takes juveniles to Farmington or Albuquerque, which leaves less law enforcement coverage in our counties.
Both counties want to get the new “Catch and Release” program changed. If someone does not commit a violent felony, they are processed and then released. Jails are all too full. Money is the issue!!! You can help by talking to your County Commissioners and State Representatives.
A game camera helped law enforcement retrieve seven utility trailers recently. So, put your cameras in several locations around your property. They can be used for more than just seeing our local wildlife, although we all like seeing the cougars, bears, foxes and deer around the neighborhood.
Sheriff Silversmith said that there are 33 Sheriffs in NM with about 30 meeting once a month. Fifteen to 20 normally go to Santa Fe. He indicated several senators have been really good in listening to their concerns.
Roads is a #1 issue in the county. Sheriff Silversmith indicated he would not want to drive on our road every day and knows that it is a serious problem for law enforcement and emergency vehicles to do their jobs. Linda Pedersen indicated that currently Cibola landowners pay a total of $168,000 every year in property taxes. She is also working on the amounts for McKinley County. Information like this can be used when we communicate with our County Commissioners.
Both counties are working together on DWI and Drug Task force programs. At a recent checkpoint, 40 officers were working and got 5 or 6 drunk drivers. It appears that more and more people are using designated drivers, which is a great solution for drunk driving. Educational pamphlets are being distributed. McKinley County has had 300 DWI arrests so far this year.
CURRENT FIRE CONDITIONS
Julie Farrell and Bill Sanders represented the Ramah Volunteer Fire Department and
provided some up-
A fire break needs to be established on Elk Drive since the road needs to be widened and trees trimmed on both sides. Since the meeting this evening, Julie spoke to Steve Stevens and Charley Haverstick who addressed this situation at the July 21st Board Meeting.
When calling 911, make sure you say that Timberlake Fire Station #55 is the closest
fire station. You should then call either Julie Farrell at 783-
Fire Ban has not been lifted in the State yet. A meeting will be held around August 1st to discuss. Electric chain saws can be used before 10 a.m., but nothing else.
PHI Cares has evacuated 3 landowners so far this year. Last years evacuations were
all caused by dehydration. Please go to the TRLA website for information on PHI
Cares and Air MedCare. We encourage everyone to have coverage from both companies.
Weight limit for both is 400 lbs. and 6’ tall. Cost is $40 per year under the Timberlake
Group rate. PHI phone number is 888-
(After this meeting, we verified PHI and AirMedCare’s application information, etc.,
and have revised the information on the website (Emergency section), so it is up-
Julie suggested that as you drive to and from Timberlake that you pay attention to mile markers so that you could provide more information when calling for help. The entrance to Timberlake on Highway 53 is mile marker #35. Numbers get bigger as you travel to Grants.
A new engine was recently obtained for our station. Homeowners insurance rates will go down whenever we get 2 engines and 2 tankers (larger water capacity). The helicopter pad has been put on the back burner. So, helicopters will land between Buttonwood and Copperweed. One landowner indicated their insurance went down when they mentioned the new water tank that holds approximately 40,000 gallons of water.
We now have 16 volunteers and there are 12 in Ramah.
THANK YOU to everyone for volunteering and helping monitor fires – if you see or smell smoke, etc., call Julie, Bill, or Andy anytime of the day or night.
By: Mary Jo Wallen & Nancy Wills (Co-
783-
Contacting Law Enforcement Authorities
Call 911 -
McKinley County Sheriff 505-
Cibola County Sheriff 505-
To Report a Game Law Violation
Call Operation Game Thief 1-
Timberlake Ranch Neighborhood Watch (posted 7-
“SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING”
First, I would like to personally thank Jim Zwerg for all his help in coordinating
our Timberlake Neighborhood Watch Program. Our team of volunteers worked well together
under his leadership. After the Annual Meeting this year, Jim had to resign because
of some personal issues. Nancy Wills has taken his place, so Nancy and I are Co-
We also want to thank Lt. Harry Hall, Cibola Sheriff’s Dept. for attending the Annual Meeting. Lt. Hall always has advice to help us help ourselves as well as the Sheriff’s Dept. to deter crimes in the area. We had good attendance at our table that was set up at the meeting. If you didn’t pick up your Timberlake green sticker for your vehicle windshield, please contact us or any of the Board members. It really helps us identify a landowner’s property when a vehicle is left on the side of the road. One such incident occurred during the spring “muddy” season and if the sticker had been on the vehicle, we could have saved time by not calling the report into law enforcement. It takes time to get an answer back and in the meantime, it creates unneeded concern that a “suspicious person” could be roaming around the area.
We are happy to report that there has only been one incident reported of a break-
We’re hoping to have another law enforcement meeting later this summer. When the date and time is available, we’ll notify everyone via the website and flyers on all the bulletin boards in Timberlake.
Another reminder for ATV’ers…please remember that you should not be driving on electrical easements and/or private property. One incident occurred in the McKinley County portion of the development. ATV’s are only allowed on the road or your own private property. Children should be wearing helmets and the speed limit is 20 mph, regardless of the signs for vehicles on the roads.
If you have any suggestions or questions for the Neighborhood Watch Group, please
send to us at www.timberlakewatch@gmail.com or call Mary Jo Wallen at 783-
We’ve made a lot of progress the past couple of years and we want to thank everyone who helps patrol the area and who are just “more aware” of what’s going on in our community. A list of the Coordinators and other valuable information can be found on the website and the bulletin boards.
Mary Jo Wallen, Co-
783-
Law Enforcement Forum Sept 2014
Emergency 911 databases
(Posted 3-
These address numbers are standardized and provided by the county. (You don't go
buy decorative ones on your own.) These same numbers are used by Fed-
On to a different, but related topic. There have been many instances across the country
of physical addresses not matching up with the telephone number associated with that
address in the 911 emergency databases. If you have such a mismatch it can be disastrous.
When you call 911 the dispatcher notes your physical street address in the database.
If it's wrong, emergency services may be directed to the wrong location. It's very
simple to check this out. DO NOT CALL 911 TO DO THIS! Instead, call 505-
The importance of obtaining a rural address marker for your property, making records of serial numbers of valuables, making photo records, adding automatic lights that come on when someone approaches at night, and proper door locks were also discussed. Certainly there is much that can be done to reduce crime in our community.