Alto Al Crimen Update

[NewsLady]

The message below was recently sent to the large number of folks registered with Alto al Crimen for emergency hotline and translation services. We are additionally distributing it now for any of our registrants who may not have received it because of email address changes and also for the entire expat community so that all may be aware of Alto al Crimen and its services. If you are new here (or even an old-timer) and want to have the security of a bilingual service for emergency police, fire or medical calls, sign up at altoalcrimen.info and make your first annual donation.. ======================== ALTO AL CRIMEN 6477-6662 STOP THE CRIME Your Help Line Standing by 24/7   December 2, 2016   A letter to the over 500 registered members of AAC. The purpose of this letter is to provide information for you about your public service foundation.   The police in Panama are rotated about every ninety days. So every three months your Alto al Crimen volunteer officers and our AAC Hotline operator make it a practice to meet and greet the new police Boquete Chief to make the officers aware of AAC and your connection with them. Officers new to the area can’t be expected to know local issues or directions, but the AAC 24/7 bilingual operator does. He is your bilingual voice in times of need.   Did you know that there are options for ambulance service from Boquete to David hospitals, one with an EMT and one without? The costs vary accordingly. With the help of our AAC operator you can select the level of service and cost that you may require when needed.   You never know when you may need the police. We can direct them to your house even though you may be nervous or distracted. The same is true of the bomberos. We are approaching the dry season when brush fires are common, and you may need to make a call to protect your property or the property of others.   Have you noticed the Caldera Road police check point? Who hasn’t? It was activated shortly after AAC president Bob Gregory and VP Tom Counter met with Panama’s Minister of Security and strongly supported the check point as a crime deterrent. This location is the most traveled in and out of Boquete. Home invasions have been practically non-existent since the check point has been in existence.   The quality of life here is good at this time. However, the founders of AAC and some recent Board of Directors members have lived in and left wonderful places where crime had made the quality of life not worth staying there. AAC was created to prevent this kind of problem. It has been working, but it has a cost.   This time of year is our fund raising time, and we need your financial support to continue our mission on your behalf. AAC’s main continuing expense is paying our 24/7 operator monthly. A twenty dollar or more annual donation from each member would easily fill that need. But that need hasn’t been filled. It is not that we have spent over budget, but our members have not kept in mind our Community Services and that we are a public charity and not a for-profit business. Contributions are our only source of funds. Every function of AAC except manning the AAC 24-hour Hotline is completed by our volunteers. Administrative and other expenses are kept to a minimum. But we must continue to have donations to be able to operate. We need and are asking for your support.   Your donation of $20, $30 or more can be left in an envelope at MAILBOXES ETC. in Boquete. Be sure to leave a note with your name and registration number.   Though this notice is directed to our existing registered members, if you are not a member and read this, consider the benefits and peace of mind you can derive from signing up for the AAC Hotline. Go to altoalcrimen.info to sign up, and leave your donation with your name at MAILBOXES, ETC.   We’ll be making a presentation at the BCP Tuesday meeting on January 17 to provide information about Alto al Crimen. We plan to make an announcement about an exciting new service we are arranging for our contributors.   Yours for a safer Boquete,   Bob Gregory, President and Tom Counter, VP

[JohnF13]

Being a member of AAC and a yearly donor, I have to wonder why I didn't get this notice.  Nothing has changed in my contact info, so it can't be that.....

[Keith Woolford]

Quote

So every three months your Alto al Crimen volunteer officers and our AAC Hotline operator make it a practice to meet and greet the new police Boquete Chief to make the officers aware of AAC and your connection with them

Thanks for the update. Who is the current Chief of Police, when did he arrive and how long will he be here?

Edited December 5, 2016 by Keith Woolford