|
Detailed Membership Information
Here you will find information on upcoming events, enrollment and renewal, member privileges and services, general membership announcements, and contact information.
MSP Celebrates 10 Years
The Morningside Security Patrol (MSP) is in its 10th year of service. Three of our officers have been with us the entire time. Inspector Ricardo Vazquez, Sgt. Ben McGee, and Officer K. Chenyelu (formerly Eric Boone) have been with us since the beginning.
This fall we will be kicking off the 2004 membership drive. Events and activities are planned for the coming months so please check back often. Help us to continue this tradition for another 10 years by showing your support and rejoining or joining for the first time.
For current rates and membership enrollment: click here
Thanks for your continued support.
Why Your Membership Is Important
Right now, MSP is a part-time service patrolling Morningside 60-70 hours weekly. Our goal is 24/7 coverage. We can only do that with greater participation from the neighborhood.
MSP membership has grown in the past 2 years. We certainly thank all those who have joined recently and those who have continued to support MSP over the years. But more members are still needed.
Subscribers obtain the full benefit of membership. This includes yard signs, vacation patrols, and full access to security alerts and information.
But MSP members are not the only ones who benefit from the Patrol. The entire neighborhood benefits from the increased vigilance and policing presence on our streets.
The officers will intervene in all criminal and suspicious activities regardless of where it is occurring in the neighborhood.
The MSP officers, while on duty for us, will respond to 911 dispatches in our neighborhood, again, regardless of the victim's membership status.
MSP benefits the entire neighborhood. Yet the Patrol is not supported by the entire neighborhood. If you are not a member of MSP and MLPA, won't you join your neighbors by subscribing to, and supporting this vital service to our neighborhood? Help us all sleep better at night.
General Membership Information
Membership in the Security Patrol is open to residents of Johnson Estates, Lenox Park, and Morningside. Enrollment runs on a calendar year basis.
You may join anytime during the year. But enrollment before June 30th is full price. After June 30th, the cost is half price. All memberships expire on December 31st of each year and should be renewed by January 1st of the next year. New membership materials are mailed out every fall during the general membership campaign.
MSP members receive an MSP yard sign (first-time members only), a sticker noting the current year of their membership, an orientation letter, and some vacation request cards.
Small portions of the neighborhood are located in Police Zone 6 - not Zone 2. MSP officers will provide all services for those members in Zone 6 but may not respond quickly to 911 calls from Zone 6 because their radios are tuned to the Zone 2 dispatch.
Submitting Vacation Patrol Requests
MSP members are encouraged to use the vacation security patrol service whenever they go out of town or will be away from their homes for extended periods. This includes times when home renovations may require you to move out temporarily. Our officers will check your home at least once daily while you are gone.
Whenever possible, we ask that you give the Patrol sufficient lead-time to process your request. If you send your request card by mail, please mail it 2-3 weeks prior to your departure.
If time does not permit such lead-time, drop the request in the black message box at the Morningside Presbyterian Church at 1411 N. Morningside Dr. The box is located on your right as you enter the church parking lot from Morningside Drive.
If you have any questions, call the MSP at 404-817-9664 and leave a message. An officer or one of our Board members will get back to you.
Your cooperation will enable operations to run more smoothly and ensure that your home is protected in your absence.
Please remember that the MSP phone number is not for emergencies. If you are victimized by a crime, or witness a crime, or any suspicious activities call 911 first.
About the Yard Signs
This year, the MLPA installed new yard signs for all MSP members. The new signs should be more durable and weatherproof than the older signs. The new signs should have come with the 03 stickers attached. The 03 stickers will be covered with 04 stickers sometime after your membership is renewed for next year.
 It is the responsibility of new members to obtain their own street numbers for their yard sign. We recommend durable reflective marine style numbers to be applied to your sign. Such number stickers can be obtained at local hardware stores such as Intown Hardware on Highland Ave. or Ace Hardware at Ansley Mall.
We strongly urge you to apply your street numbers onto the sign. Signs without numbers are more likely to be swiped and reappear in somebody else's yard. We have had to replace some of these brand new signs already. We will replace your yard sign for free but if it happens too frequently, we reserve the right to charge you for replacement signs.
Also remember that the yard signs help the MSP and regular Police officers more readily identify your home in the event of an emergency. So it is to your advantage to put your numerals on your yard sign.
Help Us, Help You
We ask that you allow time for your membership to be processed. During the height of the membership drive it may take 2-6 weeks before you receive your membership packet, sign, and, or, sticker.
Although an MSP officer may bring you your membership materials, the MSP officers do not handle the membership, the MLPA does. MLPA is strictly a neighborhood-based volunteer association. No one in MLPA is paid for his or her participation.
At times things may slip through the cracks. If you joined or renewed and after a period did not receive your membership materials, please contact either the Membership or the Public Safety Committee.
And as always, we appreciate any of those who might wish to volunteer to assist MLPA in general and, or, to assist the Public Safety Committee.
Again, thanks for your patience.
General Announcements
Because a volunteer left without notice earlier this year, we have fallen behind in sending out Vacation Patrol Reports to members. Consequently, a backlog of reports accumulated. We have spent some time working on a computerized system to process and mail these reports. We should have the backlog cleared out over the next several weeks. Again, thank you for your patience. (9/19/03)
Remember, if you are victimized by a crime, witness a crime or suspicious activities, call 911 first. After you have done that, we then appreciate a follow-up with the Public Safety Committee.
If you do not call 911, the incident is not reported in the APD crime statistics. This can translate to fewer APD resources and assets being assigned to Morningside. Also remember that MSP officers out patrolling our streets and are listening to the Zone 2 dispatch, not to the office phone.
If you call the MSP number or a board member to report an incident in progress instead of calling 911, you will have defeated the system and will not obtain a good response to your situation.
|
