Saturday, March 20, 2010

Trash Trucks on the Lookout

By Rozanna M. Martinez
Journal Staff Writer
          Criminals beware, more eyes are watching you in Rio Rancho.
        Waste Management Inc. has partnered with the Rio Rancho Police Department to help keep an eye out for criminal activity in residential and commercial areas as well as other emergencies such as fires, Rio Rancho police spokesman John Francis said.
        Rio Rancho police trained about 75 Waste Management drivers who start hitting the streets daily in the early morning hours. Drivers will be on the lookout for suspicious activity as they run their daily routes picking up residential and business waste in Rio Rancho, Bernalillo and other areas in Sandoval County.
        "These drivers know when something is out of the norm on their routes and will report it to local authorities immediately," according to a Rio Rancho Police Department news release.
        The goal is for drivers to report and prevent property crime and other illegal activity by contacting Sandoval County Regional Dispatch, which will alert the appropriate law enforcement agency.
        Each driver also will carry a report form to help document activity he sees.
        The Waste Watch program in Sandoval County has been in effect for about a month, Francis said. It has been in use throughout the country for the past couple years, Francis said.
        The program has been successful and in one case helped saved the life of a police officer in Phoenix, Francis said. A Waste Management driver came across a man brutally beating the officer and intervened, saving her life.
        A driver in the Farmington area noticed what appeared to be a bank robber leaving a local bank and was able to follow the suspect at a safe distance while notifying police, Francis said. The suspected robber was caught a short distance away.
       

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