We should all be alert for suspicious activity

We never established a formal neighborhood patrol, as some neighborhoods have done, but we can each help by being on the lookout for suspicious activity and reporting it.

Two car thefts have been reported in the past two weeks. If you see a rollback truck loading a car, call 911 and let the Decatur police check it out. (If it's legit, no harm is done.) Don't approach the truck driver directly, as that could be risky.

A few years ago, there was at least one case of robbers dressing to appear as maintenance workers. If you see maintenance workers carrying objects (other than their tool boxes) back to their trucks, call 911.

Lock your cars, even if they are in your driveway. A few years ago, tools were stolen out of a truck in a driveway on Sycamore near Pinehurst.