San Jose Neighborhood Fed Up With Burglaries, Residents Pay $40 A Month For Private Security
SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) – A patrol car does a slow roll through an Almaden Valley neighborhood hit hard by burglars. But it's not the San Jose Police Department, it's a private security company hired by frustrated neighbors.
"It came to this because I was sitting and watching next door and watching 39 burglaries over a three month period, and no one was doing anything," said Mary Ellen Distinti, who lives in the neighborhood.
Some neighbors have armed themselves. But Distinti just wanted a greater security presence. She organized a group of about 60 who agreed to hire Taps Security. Each homeowner pays $40 a month.
Residents said the unarmed private patrol provides deterrence and quick response times, something the dwindling San Jose police force can't.
"The first thing people always say is 'Why do I have to pay for security when we already pay our taxes?' The reality is there is just not enough police coverage," said Steve Koski, a neighbor.
City councilmember Johnny Khamis said the city is hiring more police and community service officers to be more responsive. "I don't want people to take the law into their own hands," Khamis said.
The councilman said before neighborhoods go hiring their own security, they should organize neighborhood watches and get to know each other first.
"Know what cars they are driving, know what cars they are driving, know who is actually living next door," Khamis said.
But neighbors said their private patrol is already paying off. Distinti says she had a prowler, who was captured on surveillance video, one week after the patrols began.
Distinti called police and her security company at about the same time. "It took police an hour and 15 minutes to respond to a person in my driveway with a hoodie up in my door and then running away," she said.
When asked how long private security took to respond, "It took five minutes," Distinti said.