SAFETY NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH (NW) CORNER By Fay Wood, NW Chief Happy New Year from your Neighborhood Watch Team. Let’s start 2026 with some New Years Resolutions! We should resolve to make a concerted effort to meet with our neighbors and get contact information should the need arise. Take this opportunity to discuss the concept of Neighborhood Watch of “Neighbors Watching out for Neighbors” and if your see something, let someone know. Look around your residence to make sure that outside property is secured as well as any foliage or shrubbery that may offer cover to any intruders are cut back. Check your outside lights are in good working order as with the shorter days, this is always a vulnerability. Additionally, make sure your Neighborhood Watch information stickers are up to date and legible. If you need a new one, they are available at the front desks at both the HFC and Clubhouse. We put out a blast last month regarding a change to the law regarding license plate covers and frames. The following is a repeat of the information in the blast: Florida’s newly tightened rules on license plate visibility are already catching drivers off guard. That’s especially true for those who never suspected their dealership-installed or personal organizational decorative frames could land them in trouble. That’s right, something installed by a dealer or you out on years ago could land a driver in hot water today. Under House Bill 253, which took effect Oct. 1, any frame or covering that obscures even the tiniest part of a plate is now treated as a second-degree misdemeanor. That means a potential $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail for something as minor as a princess-themed border or a sports-team frame. Your Neighborhood Watch Team recommends you immediately remove any license plate frame or 20 covering. This way you will avoid the embarrassment or fines. We also have more crime prevention and safety events planned for the new year such as the coffee with the Chiefs of Police, visit and chat by Sheriff Grady Judd, and a public safety expo! Stay tuned for the specifics. Again, Happy & Healthy New Year from your Neighborhood Watch Team! CITIZENS ASSISTED PATROL (CAP) By Dave Bishop The Lake Ashton Citizens Assisted Patrol (CAP) is a volunteer organization sponsored by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The purpose of CAP is to be Visible in the community and to Observe and Report any illegal or suspicious activity that is observed to law enforcement, through direct contact with the Sheriffs Office Dispatcher, to have the appropriate authorities respond to the respond to the situation if required. There are 66 CAP units in Polk county made up of between 2000 and 3000 volunteers. To become a member you need to fill out an application, available at the HFC or in the Club House Media Center. Once the PCSO has received your application and carried out a background check, you will be contacted with a date and location for your CAP training. Once you have received the PCSO training they will contact the LA-CAP coordinator who will arrange for onsite training in the CAP vehicle. You will then be put on the monthly schedule. The usual schedule is 2 hours patrol per week but this can vary to suit your schedule, these patrols can be carried out in either the PCSO Patrol Car, the PCSO golf cart, on a bike, on foot or on your own golf cart if properly equipped and inspected by the CAP Coordinator. We are always in need of new CAP members to patrol and watch our community. We are fortunate to live in a very safe community, help keep it that way by volunteering to be come a CAP member and part of the best Sheriffs Departments in the country. Any questions, contact Dave Bishop PCSO, LA CAP Coordinator.
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