She crusades against open garage doors and for house numbers in alleys. She pushes neighbors to empty their cars of personal belongings.
And when she dons the blue-and-white cap that identifies her as a Volunteer in Patrol – well, you’d better watch out.
If there’s a bicycle in your front yard or your door is ajar, you’ll get a call from Marilyn Meyer, a 13-year resident of Merriman Park Estates and long-time chairman of the neighborhood’s crime-watch group.
In her years as crime-watch chair, Meyer has learned well what works and what won’t in this older section of Merriman Park. Crime-watch sponsored social gatherings and symbolic observances tend to flop (“One year, two of us walked with flashlights for National Night Out,” she recalls). Nor has she been successful in recruiting block captains.
But bring the neighborhood a plan of action, and any apparent apathy disappears. When Meyer began to organize Volunteers in Patrol, 30 residents responded. Three years into the program, 45 residents have trained as V.I.P.s with the Dallas Police Department, and patrol the neighborhood to discourage crime.
Meyer’s tenure has been marked by often single-handed efforts to improve her neighborhood’s safety. She was one of three homeowners who agreed to place streetlights in their yards to improve lighting. She originated and sustains both the neighborhood voice mail and crime watch column in the homeowners’ newsletter.
