Woodbridge neighborhood crime watch text alert group

Posted on by

Woodbridge Crime Watch groupGroupMe is an app that has been around for almost two years now. Last year, I went to SXSW and used it to keep in touch with the extended group I was travelling with. It was a huge help to have a unified group messaging system that worked with a variety of devices.

Recently, I saw that Jerry Paffendorf of Loveland Technologies wrote a blog post about using GroupMe as a neighborhood crime watch alert system in Corktown, and I decided to start one for Woodbridge.

This fantastic idea is entirely Jerry’s. I’m just hoping to share the love in Woodbridge. As we’ve written about here, we’ve been the victims of petty crime and any information we can share as a community can only help us keep our neighborhood safer.

To reiterate some of the great points Jerry made on his blog post, let’s talk about what the group should and should never be used for:

Good Examples:

  • Someone just stole my car on the corner of X and Y.
  • Someone is breaking into my house at 555 Neighbor St!! Someone come help!
  • I just saw someone smash a window and get into a red van on the corner of Bad Boy and What You Gonna Do. License plate # 123 ABC

Bad Examples:

  • What’s up everybody? Enjoying a crime-free weekend I hope.
  • Help! I can’t find my keys!
  • OMG This weather is crazy right? lol.
  • lasstt caaallL @ Woodbridge Pub woooo!

In order to join the Woodbridge Crime Watch group, please send me a message on IntoDetroit with your mobile number and first and last name. Once you’re in the group, you can use a computer, a smartphone (Android or iPhone), or any phone that can send text messages.

If you witness anything going down, crime-wise, post to the group and call the Wayne State Police at (313) 577-2222 or 911. With a service like this we can start to identify patterns that will help law enforcement and help reduce crime in our community.

10 thoughts on “Woodbridge neighborhood crime watch text alert group”

  1. I so want to join and post "bad examples". Well other "bad examples" not the one already listed.
  5. Okay, I guess I wrongfully assumed that people can join groups in GroupMe. Turns out, they need to be invited by the admin (me). You can Send me a message with your first and last name and mobile number. Once you have access to the group you can use the GroupMe app on iOS, Android, Blackberry, a computer, or just send SMS messages to the GroupMe phone number that is listed on the page and that will work. Sorry!
  6. It's so refreshing to see some outsiders moving into the neighborhood and fixing what's wrong with it. Good thing you discovered Jerry's post on using GroupMe to help with crime. That's so much easier than actually getting to know one another or working with the existing safety initiatives that longtime residents have been working on (Safe In Woodbridge, AmeriCorps block clubs, WCDC meetings, etc.) ...
  7. It's so refreshing to see some outsiders moving into the neighborhood and fixing what's wrong with it. Good thing you discovered Jerry's post on using GroupMe to help with crime. That's so much easier than actually getting to know one another or working with the existing safety initiatives that longtime residents have been working on (Safe In Woodbridge, AmeriCorps block clubs, WCDC meetings, etc.) ...
    No need to veil your point with obvious sarcasm. We're all adults here.

    I'm sorry you see this as some sort of invasion or insult. That's not my intention. My intention is to offer another avenue of communication for our neighborhood.

    We've been the victims of three break-ins so far. None of those neighborhood groups have reached out to us, contacted us in any way, and none of the many wonderful neighbors I've met have mentioned a single one of those groups.

    I fail to see how more outreach and more communication is a bad thing. If you disagree with the group, then simply ignore it. No harm intended, and it's certainly not going to infringe on anything else anybody is doing.

    Be nice! We're good people. I'm not an outsider, I've been a Detroiter for most of my life.

  8. Hi. @Sue...

    I'm in the UK, and I've never been to Detroit, but I can vouch from here, that primesuspect is Good people'.....really good. :0)
  9. "New ideas and "outsiders" can be scary change," said the French, British, and every other group who lived in Detroit before us.

    The idea of "outsiders" is silly. More tools to bring the community together is a good idea that benefits everyone, insiders and outsiders alike.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *