RIght. We talked to the constable about that idea that night in the ER as we were finishing up getting Aaron's statement written/signed. It will, interestingly, take a multi-neighborhood watch to make this work.
The reason (those of you who know the Houston suburbs may now take a nap) is that each neighborhood is actually its own little quasi-legal entity. Each neighborhood contracts with either the constables OR the sheriff's office for police protection. This is because the two overlap, I suppose.
At any rate, there are about as many neighborhoods within, say, two miles of here, as my dog has fleas in July. Each one has to do their own neighborhood watch thing, or else there will be "holes" in the security net that the BG's will slip through. (Can you tell I'm trying to figure out how to make this work?)
What we will need is some sort of interface that will enable, say, the Fairfax Neighborhood Watch patrol (who should have been near enough to have heard this going on) to contact the Postwood and Birnamwood and other Neighborhood Watches (all of whom need to have civilians on patrol armed with two way radios that the sheriffs and or constables will hear) and the LEO of their jurisdiction.
In other words, we need a comprehensive system, and what we HAVE is a patchwork quilt.
Our little neighborhood is really quite good (evidenced by the lady who jumped out of her car to chase off the car thieves in action!) But we are a neighborhood with only one entrance/exit and maybe 40-50 houses total on that loop. We are really set up for taking care of ourselves. We have a constable who lives right across the street (although he's not assigned here, of course). We have people who know each other, our neighborhood is always active and out on the streets or our front yards when the weather is nice... you can't get much better. What we don't have is any control at all over what happens 3/4 of a mile away in Fairfax.
I wonder if life was ever as uncomplicated as I thought it was when I was a child....?
Thanks so much for the support, guys (and Hook, Dwight was making a point, not putting me down. I know he would never do that, but thanks for being concerned)
Springmom