In a continuing effort to curb crime rates and promote community
awareness, the Hollister Police Department will conduct another
Neighborhood Safety Fair Thursday, May 17 from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m.
In a continuing effort to curb crime rates and promote community awareness, the Hollister Police Department will conduct another Neighborhood Safety Fair Thursday, May 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – this time at the Rustic Gardens Apartments at 190 Sierra Court, behind the Hollister Post Office on Maple St.
“We’re hitting an area of town we haven’t hit before,” said HPD Capt. Richard Vasquez.
The safety fair consists of the HPD, South County Housing, South Benito County Substance Abuse and other organizations, whose members attempt to identify neighborhood issues through interaction and by teaching classes.
“The intent for doing it is to give awareness to some individual neighborhoods,” Vasquez said.
The classes at this event – called Community Workshops – include Neighborhood/Gang Aware-ness, Diabetes Awareness and Health Insurances, Fire Safety and Code Enforce-ment.
All classes will be free and taught in Spanish only.
The HPD devised the classes according to surveys previously passed out in the neighborhood. There have been Community Workshops, which Vasquez called “very popular,” at the last three Neighborhood Safety Fairs.
The program started in 1997 when it was called the Gonzalez Drive Project. Attendance has progressively increased since, Vasquez said. Past fairs, which are open to the public, have averaged about 200 people, he said.
The next Neighborhood Safety Fairs are tentatively scheduled for Aug. 5 and Oct. 24, 2003, and Jan. 24, and March 20, 2004.
“Awareness is knowledge,” Vasquez said. “The more people who are aware of the rules and regulations, the better informed they are.”
For more information about the Neighborhood Safety Fairs, call the HPD at 636-4330.
