Your Amapas Neighborhood Association has an excellent relationship with our local police.  That’s one reason they invited our colonia to participate in the new VEA Program – a sort of ‘Neighborhood Watch on steroids’ with an added Whatsapp element to ensure a rapid response in crime emergencies.

It’s all about crime prevention and community participation, which is where we come in.  As part of the program’s roll-out, police have had good turnout at four ANA-sponsored informational neighborhood meetings, including two walking tours with local residents, identifying  unsafe or potentially dangerous areas for particular police attention.

One thing that makes VEA different from a typical Neighborhood Watch is that this program is sponsored by the police, so they’re ‘all in.’  Another is VEA’s ‘Emergency Only’ Whatsapp group, which is monitored by the Police Chief himself, his deputies and watch commanders.

The Amapas Emergency VEA group works!  We saw it in action last month, when a VEA Whatsapp message got immediate police and bomberos response that saved the life of an attempted suicide.

We’re now adding individual neighbors to our Amapas VEA ‘Emergency Only’ Whatsapp group.

We’ve asked Full Member Buildings to designate their own VEA contact.  If you see a crime in progress, or a seriously dangerous situation unfolding, first call 911 – the operators speak English.  Then call, text or email your VEA contact, Security Board Member Gene Mendoza or ANA Administrator Viviana Teston – they’ll send a Whatsapp text that will go straight to the top of the police chain of command, getting immediate response.

Not for reporting stray dogs on the highway, kittens in trees, or late-night noise (that’s all 911 territory), the VEA ‘hotline’ is for emergencies only.

We’ve asked HOA presidents or Boards to appoint your VEA contact – check with them to learn who your building’s contact person will be.