Suisun City obeserves National Night Out

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By Ian Thompson

SUISUN CITY - Life on Buena Vista Drive is getting nicer these days.

"It's better in the neighborhood," said Luis Rivera who heads up the street's recently established neighborhood watch. "There is less speeding. The kids are behaving themselves better."

Rivera's neighborhood is indicative of what National Night Out is all about - residents and police working together to ensure small crime problems don't become big ones.

On Tuesday, residents from these and other neighborhoods around Heritage Park gathered there to celebrate National Night Out with a barbecue, children's fingerprinting and jump houses.

"The neighborhood watch there has really been expanding," said Suisun City Police Chief Ed Dadisho.

"When community members get involved, it makes our job much easier."

Three months ago, residents along Buena Vista Drive told police that their neighborhood was suffering from problems with vandalism, speeding and other crimes that they feared would grow.

Suisun City police responded with more patrols, more code enforcement on problem houses and a push to get crime prevention programs such as neighborhood watches set up.

"We have extended it (Neighborhood Watch) to some other streets in the area since then," said Keetra Welling who runs Suisun City's crime prevention programs.

At the last neighborhood meeting, city officials talked with residents about programs such as the city's home loan program that would help residents finance improving their homes.

"We have definitely noticed the police driving up and down more," said Buena Vista Drive resident Cindy Ferrera. "Hopefully, things will keep on improving."