OUR MISSION: TO KEEP YOU SAFE!

Article submitted by Dennis Hanscom C.H.A.P.S. member

Before I go on about the services C.H.A.P.S.* offers our residents, here are a couple of items that need to be addressed. When we drive around in the evening, our C.H.A.P.S.* volunteers report there are many house numbers that are unlit. As I counted one evening, there were 20% of the house numbers on one street that were not lit. So please put this article down, walk outside, and check to see if the bulbs that light your house numbers are indeed lit. They should be as they burn 24 hours a day. Your lighted house number is critical because emergency personnel will be able to find your home much faster. Replacement bulbs may be purchased at any local hardware store.

With the summer heat fast approaching, we are starting to see more people out walking at night. We recommend you wear light colored clothing, and even use reflective clothing if possible. When crossing the street, please use a crosswalk! Keep in mind, it can be virtually impossible to see walkers wearing dark clothing until it is almost too late.

Leaving your garage doors open: Please check daily to see if your garage door is closed. And, contrary to the belief that it helps to leave your door open a bit (18 inches) to let the heat escape, it does not work! When it is 100 degrees inside your garage and 106 outside, it will only allow more heat to enter your garage. And, if you are leaving the door open 18 inches, you are simply inviting someone or something to crawl into your garage. When your doorbell rings in the evening, it is likely one of our C.H.A.P.S.* volunteers with a friendly reminder that your garage door is open.

The duties of C.H.A.P.S.* volunteers appear below.

Vacation Watch

When residents are away from home for two weeks or more, they are encouraged to fill out a Vacation Watch form which is available at the Welcome Center and the Membership Office at the Palm Center, as well as online at suncitygrand.com. Completed forms are to be returned to the Membership Office in the Palm Center.

Two criteria are required for homeowners to use this program: (1) homeowner must be away for a minimum of two weeks; (2) a keyholder must be identified on the request form. C.H.A.P.S.* volunteers will walk around the home checking for unlocked doors, unlocked or broken windows, etc. The goal is to make the house look occupied. When an irregularity is found, the designated keyholder will be notified. C.H.A.P.S.* does not report homeowner violations to the Standards Office.

Evening Patrol

During evening hours, volunteers patrol our streets in Association vehicles to observe and report unusual activity. The volunteers look for breaches of security such as open garage doors, suspicious vehicles and/or people. Street light outages and road hazards will be reported to the proper authorities. As an additional reminder, when going out for an evening walk, please close your garage door. If one of our C.H.A.P.S.* volunteers stop to let you know of your open garage door and finds no response to the ringing of your doorbell, we are obligated to notify Surprise Police to perform a courtesy check at your home that evening.

To Volunteer

We are actively looking for new volunteers. All residents are welcome! We will provide classroom and field training. There are two-person patrols where you select your days/ evenings to volunteer and you select how many times each month you wish to volunteer. Call Carol Murr (CAM) 623-546-7432 or the C.H.A.P.S.* office (623) 5467553 if you may be interested in joining us.

General Meetings

We meet the fourth Tuesday of each month at 1:30 pm in the Sonoran Plaza. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, May 23. We welcome you to come to one of our meetings to learn more about C.H.A.P.S.*

Donations

C.H.A.P.S.* welcomes all donations. Those wishing to make donations may do so at the Membership Office. Make checks payable to Sun City Grand Community Association and designate “Donation to C.H.A.P.S.”

*C.H.A.P.S.: Community Homeowner Association Patrol Service

C.H.A.P.S. MEETS THE 4TH TUESDAY EVERY MONTH (except December) AT 1:30 P.M.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME. MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH C.H.A.P.S.