COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL APRIL 19, 2017
9A
Neighborhood watch Continued from A1
So, he says he took to Face-
book and created a post to
gauge interest in a neighbor-
hood watch group. He noted
the possibility of group mem-
bers carrying fi rearms and that
is where, he says, the misun-
derstanding occurred.
"I don't want to arrest any-
one," he said. "The goal is to
observe, document and report
to the police," he said. "My
interest is in cutting down the
crime."
Rumors of an armed militia
are false according to Bailey.
While he says he would carry
his fi rearm as a safety precau-
tion, it is not the goal to detain
suspects or threaten the public
with fi rearms.
"It's an open carry state. I
don't see anything wrong with
defending yourself but we're
not an armed militia," he said.
Moreover, members of the
neighborhood watch group
would be subject to back-
ground checks and Bailey is
aware of the potential for un-
stable individuals and says
those without a background
check would not be welcome
to join.
Cottage Grove Police agree
and note that Oregon is an
open carry state and allows li-
censed gun owners to carry a
fi rearm.
"Neighborhood
watches
work best when it's a group of
like-minded individuals and
everyone is on the same page
with the same expectations and
ground rules," said Captain
Conrad Gagner.
Cottage Grove Mayor Jeff
Gowing had also heard the
commotion surrounding the
post and noted during the Mon-
day, April 10 council meeting
that the Facebook group had
misunderstood the intention.
"If everyone reported the
thefts with the same frequency
they report dogs in cars in the
summer, we would have this
taken care of," he said.
While the local police an-
swer several calls for suspi-
cious activity and thefts on a
daily basis, Bailey says he un-
derstands staffi ng issues.
"In Josephine County they
lost their law enforcement and
the citizens stepped up and
fi lled in the gap," he said.
Bailey hopes to model his
neighborhood watch after the
Guardian Angels of the 1970s
in New York.
"We would go to the fi ve
boroughs but we would never
go to the Bronx," said Bailey,
who is originally from the up-
state area of New York.
"People would be sitting on
the stoop and these guys would
walk by and the crime went
down," he said. "It's about hav-
ing a presence."
Bailey said he has no interest
in going beyond documenting
possible criminal activity to
the local police and noted the
entire idea started because of
his children.
"I don't feel safe here with
my kids," he said.
And after posting online, he
said the issue has taken on a
new life.
"A lot of it is putting words
in my mouth that I never said,"
he said. "I just don't get it. For
a town of 10,000 people, I
don't understand the property
crime. The fi rst response I'll
get is to lock up my stuff. But
it's in my backyard. I want to
stand up for my community."
Cottage Grove
Sentinel
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