Finally winter has come.  The totals are on the Snowfall page.  Right now it’s 16.4 degrees and snowing lightly.  It’s wonderful in my world!

A. I want to make sure you are all aware of a new law that goes into effect on January 1 regarding texting while driving.  The complete text of the law- 265:105-a Prohibited Text Messages and Device Usage While Operating a Motor Vehicle.
I. A person operating a moving motor vehicle who writes a text message or uses 2 hands to type on or operate an electronic or telecommunications device, is guilty of a violation. A person does not write a text message when he or she reads, selects, or enters a phone number or name in a wireless communications device for the purpose of making a phone call.
II. The fine for a violation of this section shall be $100.
Source. 2009, 291:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2010.

Please make sure your teens are aware of this new law! 

B. I learned something I was not aware of when doing an investigation last week.  I was working on an attempt to scam one of our older citizens and called the business that made the initial contact.  While it was a valid call, I found out that many people who believe they are on the “Do Not Call” list are in fact not.  They told me that even when someone gets on the list, as soon as they make an on-line purchase, buy a magazine or complete a survey they are automatically removed from the list. 

This not what the information on the Do Not Call Registry (https://www.donotcall.gov/) says, but you may want to resubscribe if any of what I was told applies to you. 

C. If you have relatives who may be visiting that subscribe to the Care-Trak system, we have access to the receivers, so encourage them to wear their transmitters, and bring the transmitter information with them.  For those not familiar, Care-Trak is designed for older dementia sufferers, autistic children, and others who may wander and not be able to find their way back.  They wear a transmitter that looks like a wristwatch, or in a belt.  We can locate them using a receiver set to the proper frequency. 

If we have a wearer in the area who gets “misplaced” we can find them quickly once the equipment gets here. 

D. Reminder again, now that our crews are out plowing and sanding, there is no parking on any town road or parking lot between 11pm, and 7 am.  Don’t make us call you at a very inconvenient hour.  Also, we have been asked to pay closer attention to the handicapped parking space at the General Store.  There are 2 signs posted in front of the spot.  Please do not park there.  It’s a very expensive fine that we do not want to write.  Be polite, get a little exercise and move over one place please.

E. I’ll ask you again, please consider subscribing to Nixle.com.  We have been using this regularly to send out notices about potential criminal activity, weather emergencies and community information.  I will be using that more as it gets the message out timelier to those that subscribe to the text messaging option than this newsletter.  Go to www.nixle.com and select Washington, NH.

Get your snow tires on, slow down a bit, and drive safely.  For those celebrating tonight- Happy Chanukah.

Steve

A. With Halloween coming I thought it important to pass along some information about  Trick-or-Treating Hours & Halloween Safety Tips

Trick-or-Treating times for Saturday October 31 are suggested from 4-9 pm

Safety Tips-

Instruct your children never to enter the home of a stranger.

Do not allow your children to go out alone.

Instruct your children to stay in their own neighborhood and trick or treat at homes that have porch lights on.

Children should wear costumes made of light colored material. If the costume is made of dark material, attach reflective tape to the costume to increase nighttime visibility.

Children and adults should carry a flashlight so that motorists can see them.

Children should walk on the sidewalks if available, not on the street.

Masks can restrict vision. If your child wears a mask, make sure he or she removes it before crossing the street.

Children should never be allowed to go out alone on Halloween.

Children should never eat any treats until they have been examined.

All fruit should be cut and closely examined before eating.

Advise children that they should never enter strangers’ homes.

Children should never accept rides from strangers.

Children should never take shortcuts through backyards or alleys.

Set a specific time limit for your children to be out on Halloween night.

Instruct children not to stray from their group.

A responsible adult should escort children while trick-or-treating.

B. I am going to continue the newsletters for routine information and news such as the above.  However, for more immediate information like the suspicious people a couple of weeks ago, road closure, and other emergencies I am going to rely on the immediacy of the Nixle system I have told you all about before. 

To refresh- We have launched a new Community Information Service designed to deliver important and timely information to residents in our area using the latest technology.

This service, Nixle, delivers trustworthy and important neighborhood-level public safety and community event notifications instantly sent to you by cell phone text message, email, and web. There is NO Spam or Advertising.

Nixle is completely free (standard text message rates apply for cell phone subscribers who do not have text plans with their cell phone providers).

The service is simple to use, reliable and trusted.

Register now and learn more at www.nixle.com. Then share this e-mail with friends and neighbors to spread the word!

Stay connected to your world, from the public safety alerts that are relevant to you, to the important neighborhood advisories you want to know about, and other valuable community information. You decide what information you want, and whether you want it sent to your cell phone, email, or just simply over the web.

We are very excited to have you experience it for yourself.

Also, if we register the most users per capita we could win $10,000 for the Town (unless I can convince the Selectmen it should go in full to the Department.

Everyone, be safe, enjoy and only feed the police healthy stuff for Halloween!

I reminded you last time, but here is another reminder-I've seen snowflakes.  Take a look at your snow tires, I don't want to have to push you up the hill or be pulling you out of a ditch!

A.  I've received the following from the one of the officers of the Washington SnowRiders, the local snowmobile club-

Saturday November 7, 2009
O.H.R.V. Snowmobile Safety Course
New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
You must be 12 years old or older.
8:00am-4:00pm at Camp Morgan
Lodge, Washington, N.H.
Sponsored by; Washington Snow Riders, Inc.
PRE-REGISTRATION IS
REQUIRED.
Call-Kevin or Pam at (603) 495-0178.

B. With your help, the department can earn a $10,000 grant.  The department participates in the Nixle notification system, a system for your emergency service providers, and other community agencies to send you instant notifications of emergencies, information, instructions, and general community notices.  There is no cost to join this, and messages are sent to you by text messaging, e-mail, and Web messaging.  It does not cost the department anything to participate in this, nor for you subscribe to it.  There is no spam, nor advertising associated with it.  It is a safe, secure, noncommercial system. 

Nixle is offering a $10,000 grant, to the three agencies that register the most users by capita, within the next 90 days.  Now the way I see it, with our official census population at 950, it won't take a lot of registrations to put us in the running.  If we each tell our neighbors, the members of the housing associations in town, and other family members, we could register more than twice as many people as are listed "official residents".  Subscribers not need be a town resident, property owner, or taxpayer; however, most of the messages would not make sense to them otherwise.  This is also per person, not per residence, so dad, mom, and the kids, all text messaging capability could all subscribe individually.

Receive Trusted, Up-To-Date Neighborhood Public Safety and Community Information directly from our department by text message and email. No Cost, simple, reliable. Register Now by clicking here.  http://local.nixle.com/register/ 

Please help pass this information along to help us earn this grant.  $10,000 will help us get a lot of equipment, supplies and training that we would not normally be able to obtain.

Thank you for your efforts.  We appreciate all the support and friendship our community gives us.

Be Alert for suspicious/unknown people or vehicles, we have had a reported burglary in LAE.

This morning an officer took a report of a burglary at a year round residence on Ashuelot Dr. This evening a report was taken of a potential attempted burglary on Adams Dr.

Please be especially vigilant for people or vehicles you have not seen in the area before. Please note descriptions, plate numbers, unique things on the car. If you have your camera or cell phone feel free to take pictures or video if they are in a public place.

I strongly urge you to register with nixle.com to get prompt notices of these message.  There is not charge to subscribe, and you will get rapid notification of messages like this to your text messaging. 

Subject: New Community Information Service
We have launched a new Community Information Service designed to deliver important and timely information to residents in 

our area using the latest technology.

This service, Nixle, delivers trustworthy and important neighborhood-level public safety and community event notifications

instantly sent to you by cell phone text message, email, and web. There is NO Spam or Advertising.

Nixle is completely free (standard text message rates apply for cell phone subscribers who do not have text plans with their cell phone providers).
The service is simple to use, reliable and trusted.

Register now and learn more at www.nixle.com. We would ask you to forward this email to 5 of your neighbors or friends in 

the community and recommend that they register to receive neighborhood information.

Stay connected to your world, from the public safety alerts that are relevant to you, to the important neighborhood advisories you want to know about, and other valuable community information. You decide what information you want and whether you want it sent to your cell phone, email, or just simply over the web.
We are really excited to have you experience Nixle.

Nixle It!

The officer’s house on Millen Pond Rd. is for sale and most of the property has been moved out already, his car was in the garage.  There is a realty sign in the front yard.

Descriptions-

Vehicle: Older Jeep Cherokee, green with a two-tone green/tan front bumper.  There was an outline of a removed inspection sticker on the front windshield where a NH sticker would have been.  When it left the officer saw it was a DMV issued temporary plate, the first digit possibly an 8 but he is very unsure.

Occupants-

Driver: Male in his late 20s/early 30s, about 5’08, short cropped beard, hair was cut neatly.

Passenger: Female, late  20s/early 30s, with long, darker hair, and wearing sunglasses.  She did not get out of the car.

Shortly after I took this report, Lempster had a report of resident that had interrupted a burglary in progress at her house.  The vehicle and occupant descriptions match.  Please keep your eyes open and alert for this vehicle and occupants.  If you see then get as complete a description as you can and call the local police in the jurisdiction you are in, or straight to 911.

B. There is a potential of a large storm coming our way this weekend.  At this point we do not have much more information about T.S. Danny that what we have all been seeing on TV and the web.  So far we have not been provided any information from the State or DHS.  As the forecasters are predicting it, if it follows the track they are seeing now, it will become a Cat. 1 hurricane, track over Cape Cod and provide us a fair amount of rain and some wind.  If it moves 50-75 miles west we could get some severe weather.  We are monitoring and will provide updates and information as we get them.  I will send by e-mail and post to the web as I get them.

Your Town Emergency Management team is preparing our response plan if needed, checking our equipment and making sure we are prepared to handle the worst, while we hope for the best.  You should also do the same.  The DHS can help you plan and prepare for a loss of electricity or evacuation.  Check their references at http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1221055966370.shtm.

I'll be in touch!

Steve Marshall

It is been most of the summer since you have heard from me, and I apologize, but we have been very busy this summer.  To give you an idea of what Washington is like this year, and demands on the police department, here are some numbers.  On this date last year, we had responded to 452 calls for service and had 314 motor vehicle & OHRV stops.  So far this year we have 595 calls for service and 525 stops.  This is all with one less officer than we had last year.  So, we are doing our best, but some things get sacrificed.

1. Dogs- we’ve got a hit list from the Town Clerk’s Office of unlicensed dogs.  A hit list that is 2 ¼ pages long.  Dog licenses expired April 30.  If yours is not licensed, and you are a permanent resident of Washington, please get it licensed.

2. A little clarity about law enforcement on private roads.  There is a misperception that we cannot enforce any laws on private roads or at the residences on them.  No so!  All laws except motor vehicle laws still apply in the private areas.  We can and do enforce criminal, drug, alcohol, and OHRV laws on the private roads.  We cannot enforce the rules of neighborhood associations.  Those are for the Board of Directors to act upon.

The only laws we cannot enforce are motor vehicle laws that require the offense to occur on a “way”.  Roads posted as private/no trespassing/residents only, etc are not ways.  If the road is open for anyone to travel, then it is considered a way and we can enforce many motor vehicle laws on the road. 

Some private roads where motor vehicle laws cannot be enforced- all of LAE, Washington Heights Rd., lower end of Long Pond Rd., Wild Acre Dr. Fox Run Road, Old Haying.

Some private roads where certain motor vehicles laws (those occurring on a way, but not a public way) can be enforced- East Shore Road, Ames Rd.  Symonds Ln., all private roads in APA, Pine Point, Balsam Cir., upper Long Pond. 

Let’s make it easy, if you have a problem, call.  When we get there we’ll do what we are authorized to do, and be “creative” if we have to.

3. Calling the police-  Another pet peeve, when you need us/ see it happen/ are the victim of the event- CALL AT THE TIME.  We cannot do much for you when you tell us that something happened a couple of days ago and you want us to do something about it.  It is frustrating when some says there was no one was at the police station so I didn’t stop to tell anyone.  If things are going the way I want them to, no one should be at the police station, we are patrolling.

We can’t do much to help you about a loud party at the neighbor’s house at 2 am when you chose to call at 6:30 am after they have all passed out and it is quiet.   We can’t take action on the guy that passed you on a hill in a no passing zone 3 days ago because you waited 3 days until you saw the cruiser at the police station to report it.

Especially annoying are people who call the police station, hear the voice mail saying “do not leave a message and here is the Dispatch number to call”, but leave a message anyway.  Often it is about something that is happening, and, although there is an officer on duty, we do not respond because we do not get the message.  Then I get an angry call because we did not respond to your request for assistance. 

All requests for police service should go to 911 or Dispatch at 495-3233.  If you chose any other method, or decide to wait until you see the cruiser, you may not get the level or type of service you expect.  We all have pagers, cell phones and wives so we can’t hide.

4. Back to the private roads.  Residents and Boards of Directors, would you please make sure the roads are properly posted?  We have noticed some street signs missing.  You can contact Ed Thayer to make arrangements to purchase a new sign if needed.  We really need to have these signs posted, it’s for your safety that we get there as efficiently and promptly when you call our neighboring mutual aid agencies and us.

5. Web site- the Health Officer has a web page now, www.washingtonnh.org/Health_officer.htm  He is feeding me information on swine flu, EEE and West Nile that is being posted.  He also keeps you updated on pandemic planning and what you can do to prepare or assist.  There are links to resources and phone numbers.  More will be added as he gives it to me.

Also, to make it easier for you to navigate through the web site, I have added a new feature.  Whenever something out of the routine is added, I will note it on the Events & Notices page by a flashing icon that it is new.  Routine things like meeting minutes, police activity & stats, town calendar, etc. will not be included in that.

6. School is starting on Wednesday, so please watch for students at the bus stops, and the busses picking them up. 

7. Student of the Month Sponsors- thanks to the Feigherys, Berrys, Manns, Daileys, Thayers & Brunos for sponsoring lunches for the 09-10 year.  I still have three sponsorships available, perhaps some new names on the list?

8. Lastly, watch for a future message about a program I have enrolled the police department in to assist in getting messages out to the residents in emergencies or for important information.  There is no cost to the town, or the residents who subscribe.  If you want to get a preview, go to www.nixle.com

And that should fill your in-box enough for this edition.  Have a good week, wear your seatbelts, and drive safely.  Thanks for your support and suggestions.

Chief Steve Marshall