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Community Involvement Pays Off In Boylan Heights Neighborhood

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Residents in one of the historic areas in Raleigh hope a joint effort with the Raleigh Police Department will put an end to a recent string of vandalism.

Boylan Heights near downtown Raleigh is a neighborhood of stark contrasts. On one hand, there are beautiful old homes renovated to their former glory.

"I don't feel fearful in this neighborhood at all," resident Nancy Glasgow said.

"There's a really good community feeling here. People take care of each other," resident Chuck Dopler said.

However, Boylan Heights also has its share of crime. Someone shot out car windows with a pellet gun Sunday night. Dopler was one of the victims.

"When something like this happens, you say why did this happen to me and, 'why did I have to be inconvenienced by it?' and that sort of thing, but you know it just happens," he said.

Residents met with police Tuesday night to talk about the vandalism. On Wednesday, cops were seen patroling neighborhood streets.

"Community involvement is extremely important," said Lt. Michael Reynolds, of the Raleigh Police Department. "As an example, when we have issues related to the vandalism, one of the first things is to reach out to the community watch group -- to get the message out for them, to talk to the others, talk to their neighbors and to assist us, because we're only as good as the involvement of the community."

The neighbors communicate through an Internet listserv and a chat room. Residents say they are so proactive when it comes to crime that they have even had the police chief walking the streets in the area, giving them crime-prevention suggestions.

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