The Chapala area Community Safety Initiative (CSI-Chapala) has begun reaching out to the public by opening separate Facebook (FB) pages in English and Spanish.
Information posted on the wall of the CSI Chapala FB account includes the group’s mission statement and list of goals, along with updates on its activities and comments from site visitors and friends. The mirror Spanish-language page, registered as Iniciativa Seguridad Ciudadana Chapala offers similar content.
So far the CSI steering committee, made up of a balanced number of foreign and Mexican nationals, has made significant strides in setting up its Anonymous Witness Hot Line, tied into the Canada-based Crime Stoppers International which currently operates programs in the United States and 21 other countries.
{/reg}Working closely with Chapala police chief Reynol Contreras, CSI volunteers have successfully tested the hotline’s functions throughout this month, announcing projections that it will go live in early February. The 01-800 telephone number and guidelines for its use will be disseminated through the FB pages and messages to the group’s email contacts.
The design of a neighborhood watch program is also now well in the works.
All CSI community safety programs are being developed in close cooperation with local authorities. Donations to support the projects are being channeled primarily through two accounts with Actinver investment and banking services, separated into a general security fund (Acct. #6809495) and a special Crime Stoppers reward kitty (Acct. #6809545).
CSI’s Linda Fossi reported that assets held in the general fund stood at 112,577.01 pesos as of January 12, while the reward account showed a balance of 58,642.56 pesos. Spending to date has totaled 1,000 USD, applied for the hotline roll-out.
The municipal government is also accepting contributions from the public as a voluntary supplement to annual property taxes, to be set aside in a special fund destined for boosting public security services. The city treasurer provides CSI with weekly accounting reports and takes the group’s input into account for decisions on expenditures.
For further information or a listing in the CSI email directory, direct messages to the group’s new address csichapala@hotmail.com.{/reg}
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