Most of us living in Baltimore take it for granted that every night we see “NWCP cars” riding around our streets. After all, doesn’t every frum community have a patrol like we do? The answer is that no other community of any kind in the world has a patrol like NWCP! The Northwest Citizens Patrol is the model and benchmark for citizens patrols globally, and is the largest and longest-running of its kind on the planet. And no, most frum communities do not have any kind of citizens patrol, much less what Baltimore has. NWCP is one of the great and unique assets of the Baltimore Orthodox community.
For 32 years, men in our community have volunteered their time a few hours a night, once every seven weeks to patrol our neighborhood. If they were not willing to participate, give back, chip in, do their part and step up to the plate, there would be no patrol. Imagine if there were no cars patrolling at night in the neighborhood. Would you feel as safe? Personally, I always feel a little safer when I see a patrol car. And although I may not say anything to the person behind the wheel, I’m grateful for his presence.
Since NWCP started, over three decades ago, our neighborhoods and streets have been watched over and patrolled for over a quarter-of-a-million hours by volunteer patrol drivers. One evening last month, I spoke with a few NWCP drivers as they were preparing for their shift.
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Rabbi Yaacov Cohen moved to Baltimore this past year as the new executive director of Talmudical Academy and joined the patrol because he felt a responsibility to the community to do his part. “Having a patrol is a deterrent,” he said. “People know that you are around, you are on the street, you are looking, and you are connected. And especially that you are connected to law enforcement. A criminal will think twice. It creates an awareness in the community that we have to keep our eyes and ears open to watch out for ourselves. It’s also nice to have an ongoing relationship with law enforcement. Because there’s a Baltimore City police officer with the patrol, we're learning what’s going on in the community, and we can give back as well by informing him of anything he needs to know,” added Rabbi Cohen.
As executive director, Rabbi Cohen oversees the security of TA. In talking with people and forming relationships with law enforcement, he’s observed that there’s a great deal we don’t know about what law enforcement and the intelligence community are doing.
“We wake up in the morning, go to shul, go to our jobs, come home, put our kids to sleep – and don’t realize that a lot of what went on during the day happened behind the scenes,” he explained. “NWCP and other organizations are helping in that behind-the-scenes work that allows everyone else to sleep soundly and know they are taken care of.”
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Shmuel Luxenberg joined the patrol over 10 years ago out of a desire to help the community. His father was a staunch supporter of NWCP and a watch commander. “The patrol shows potential criminals that there is a presence on the streets, that we care, and we want to keep our community safe,” he said. “NWCP’s effectiveness is widely documented. People are less likely to do things when the patrol is out. You may not see the guy who’s hiding behind the trash can making sure you don’t see him, but he might be hiding because he saw the car driving by, and now he’s scared to do what he was going to do before.
“Anyone who wants to know how effective the patrol is can look at the statistics and facts, call the Baltimore City Police Department, or talk to the police officer who comes here every night. There’s no question that the patrol makes a difference,” he emphasized. “I got involved with NWCP because I wanted to give back. Our community has a lot to offer – a lot of infrastructure and resources that people use – and there are enough people in this community who are young, energetic, and able-bodied who can volunteer. The patrol could use new volunteers.”
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Eliyahu Baron has been driving patrol for five years. As a member of the community, he was well aware of the patrol and the need for volunteers to keep it going. “We all know about NWCP. We all see the cars driving,” he said. “I think by seeing it over the years, I look at it as it’s now my turn to participate. There’s a communal achrayus (responsibility) to be a part of the patrol.
“The patrol is important because it helps to deter crime,” Baron noted. “Just the visibility of having the cars out there with their NWCP lights on makes a big difference. It’s important for people to support the community as a whole, and it’s not that much of a commitment once every seven weeks. A couple of hours is such a minimal commitment of time, but there’s such a big benefit to everyone.”
The community is invited to join the NWCP for an enjoyable evening of friendship and support on November 22, 2014 at 8 p.m. at Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion. For reservations,
