If you've noticed that the streets of Auburn have gotten meaner lately, you're right.

The state Division of Criminal Justice Services has released a report on crime statistics that is a wake-up call for Auburn and Cayuga County. The findings show that statewide violent crime was down 6 percent in the first half of 2007. At the same time violent crime in Cayuga County was up 73.3 percent.

That is a huge increase. It also showed that the overall crime actually showed a decrease of 5.6 percent for Cayuga County. But when you stop to think about it, is it really all that surprising?

Auburn has been slowly changing for some time now. We have several street gangs who wear their colors and roam our streets dealing drugs and marking their turf.

Sooner or later we'll all have to face these “new” statistics. One of the ways to do it is by taking charge of our own neighborhoods by organizing a Neighborhood Watch Group. This is an organized group of concerned citizens from the same general area who band together to help each other to observe and report any kind of trouble occurring in their neighborhood. It could be anything.

Suspicious vehicles that pull over and park for long periods of time - waiting. Or people you don't recognize who are in your neighbor's backyard. Maybe the folks next door are out of town and you see a moving van parked in their driveway.

All of these things are worth reporting to the Auburn Police Department.

And many crimes are not nearly so subtle. There could be drug deals happening on the corner the way things are going now.

A large group of concerned citizens, surrounding the Y field, have started a neighborhood watch before their neighborhood deteriorates. Albert Jackson, one of the head initiators, said, “The neighborhood watch meeting reflected the pride and values that we have in our area.”

The group agreed that they want to keep their neighborhood safe. They don't want to wait until things are out of hand. They want to nip it in the bud.

They had a wonderful turnout and hope for more people to get involved for the next meeting. Anyone can start a Neighborhood Watch Group. Just distribute flyers and call a meeting. If you contact the Auburn police ahead of time they will send an officer to help you work with the police and each other to stop criminal behavior.

The group will revolve around three principles: observe, report, respond. If you observe suspicious or criminal activity in your neighborhood report it to the police. They respond to the scene and take charge of the situation.

It doesn't sound like much but if residents all over the city of Auburn became more aware of what's happening around them and are willing to take the necessary steps to keep things under control, it would have a positive impact on the quality of life for everyone.

Let's act before it's too late. Let's take back our neighborhoods.