We in Rancho Bernardo like to pride ourselves on our very low crime rate. It is indeed low compared to the rest of San Diego, but are all of the criminal incidents reported?

The Neighborhood Watch Board of Advisors has come to the realization that there is a plethora of under-reported incidents, particularly misdemeanors. They may seem minor to the witness or the victim, but if they had been reported, our crime rate would have gone up, the police would have been notified to be on the watch for related (and more serious) crimes, and perhaps some criminals would have been brought to justice and off the streets by the addition of another crime. And your neighbors would know how to protect themselves better.

We need a partnership with the police, a good one, for crime to be erased, or for the bad guys to leave Rancho Bernardo alone and go elsewhere. Neighborhood Watch is most definitely a deterrent; the signs are a start. But the structure around the Block Captains must be firmly in place. Each block of neighbors reports anything suspicious to the block captain.

You see, there is an important ladder within Neighborhood Watch, and we all must use it constantly. If your block does not have a captain, this ladder is missing a rung, and must be replaced as soon as possible. However, when you, as a victim or a concerned neighbor, have informed the police and your neighbors, you have just become an acting block captain, and are now in the loop of partnership with the police.

For your information, here are some recently discovered not-reported crimes. Why weren’t they reported? Here’s what you’ve said: "they only stole a lawn chair. I didn’t think it was very important and didn’t want to bother the police," or "well, it didn’t seem to matter, since the culprit was long since gone," or "they took all my costly Christmas decorations and wreaths, but I just replaced them with less expensive ones," or "that suspicious truck I noticed surveying the area at 10 p.m. pulled away when the driver saw me coming," and, finally, the most frequent reason: "I didn’t know what to do." This last one smarts.

Hopefully, we now know what to do: First, call the police telephone unit (non-emergency unless a crime is in progress) immediately at 484-3154 (toll free). Report everything that happened and everything that you saw. We know that the police are shorthanded, but reporting anyway may just help them solve another crime. Then call your Block Captain to get the Neighborhood Watch ball rolling. Your block captain will take it from there. No block captain? Make sure you get one. Then let Neighborhood Watch know. 538-8148. (We now have voice mail, please use it.)

The Police and Neighborhood Watch is a partnership. No crime is ever too small to report. Please take the time. It’s your own neighborhood.