All residents of any area want their neighborhood to be safe and clean. A basic desire, but not a simple one. The safety and cleanliness of a neighborhood can be threatened in many ways: natural disasters, gang activity, and poor waste disposal systems to name a few.

In the Jordan Meadows area recently, residents began to notice an escalation in crime – shootings, drug houses, and fights. The neighborhoods also had problems with trash and weeds creating an unkempt appearance. Some families with young children considered moving due to concerns about safety in their own neighborhood.

Noticing these problems, some residents decided to try to restore the more peaceful, clean neighborhood they have known. After consulting with the Jordan Meadows Community Council Chair George Shafer about possible projects to help the area, some LDS wards (congregations) in the area organized a Saturday morning cleanup last July for some of the worst areas.

An estimated 200 people, both adults and children, worked for about four hours and shared lunch afterward. Participants removed weeds, trash, and other things as needed. They were thankful to be joined by tenants from the apartments where the participants were cleaning yards. Upon seeing the work of the cleanup crews, one of the apartment owners and many tenants asked to participate in any future cleanups.

Organizers of the cleanup are eager to involve as many people as possible in future projects. "The more hands that are involved makes the work lighter. We also get more ideas on how to do things better," noted Sarah Bushman, an organizer of the cleanup.

In contrast to the fear many residents felt, Ms. Bushman’s opinion is that just by having the cleanup crews in the neighborhood, "people knocking on doors helped people feel better about their community." The work made a difference too, she notes. "The cleaner the neighborhood, the better everyone feels about themselves and each other. We want to involve everyone."

While the cleanups and other similar community projects addressed the trash and weed problems, the increase in crime still left many residents in fear. Members of Mobile Neighborhood Watch, a community organization that works with the Salt Lake City police department, increased their regular efforts to make their neighborhood a safer place.

Members of Mobile Watch are community residents who take shifts a few times each month to drive through their neighborhoods and monitor activity, reporting suspicious activities to the police department. "Participants [covering shifts] in Mobile Watch may not see anything and just do right-hand turns all night. Then they feel like it’s not useful, when in fact it is because the focus is on prevention," stated Officer Dave Warner, Mobile Watch coordinator. He believes that the Jordan Meadows Mobile Watch patrol was of assistance to the police department when trying to address the neighborhood’s problems.

Elease Thompson, the Jordan Meadows Mobile Watch coordinator, believes the more Mobile Watch patrols, the less crime occurs. Some potential participants are wary of retribution from those reported on, but Ms. Thompson, a 5-year veteran of the program, dismisses that idea. She notes that the police department keeps confidential the identities of participants who report information. Thus, residents need not fear participation; in fact, their participation is essential. "If people are not willing to say ‘I think there’s a drug house next door’ and write down license plate numbers and turn them into the police, we will still have problems," she states.

One challenge for increasing participation in the program is finding effective ways of recruiting members of minority populations and making them feel welcome. "If we have the ability to tap into another culture, we have the ability to increase our numbers from 20 to 40," Officer Warner says.

In addition to organizing cleanups and participating in Mobile Watch, community members sought the assistance of the city in addressing other problems in the area. Terry Broadbent, a local resident, communicated with members of the multi-jurisdictional Community Action Team to keep them abreast of the intensity of the problems in the area. With this information, team members were able to arrange for increased police presence in the neighborhood and work with residents to address many zoning violations. The team continues to monitor the area and evaluate possible solutions.

Ms. Bushman, Ms. Thompson, and Mr. Broadbent encourage all residents to help by participating in the Mobile Watch program, attending Jordan Meadows Community Council meetings, and keeping the neighborhood clean. Mr. Broadbent plans to recruit members himself for Mobile Watch. "I really believe it makes a difference," he says.