Local patrol uses GPS to clean up streets

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This article was published 05/11/2019 (2472 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A local community patrol group is looking to use GPS tracking and Google Maps to help protect neighborhoods.

Winnipeg Neighborhood Outreach and Watch Patrol (NOW Patrol) has created a customizable Google Map that residents can use to report abandoned shopping carts. Organizers hope this map will encourage St. James residents to collaborate more, and make foot patrols more efficient.

Jeri Stern, the founder of NOW Patrol, said tracking shopping carts is only the first step.

“My thought was to leverage technology to get strategic with patrolling and outreach. I think when neighbours are inspired to help each other collect litter, and I put shopping carts in the litter category,” Stern said. “They’re going to begin to take more initiative themselves.”

Stern added that while abandoned shopping carts are a concern, he is sympathetic to those who live in poverty. He’s hoping to create an organization that takes a holistic approach to community patrolling.
Eventually, he wants to create custom shopping carts for homeless residents, which they can use instead of stealing carts.

In June 2019, a group of anti-poverty advocates and Red River College students created four lockers for homeless shopping carts, two of which are placed outside of the Main Street Project, and two are in West Broadway.

Stern hopes the custom shopping carts will be a step beyond that, giving poverty-stricken Winnipeggers a sense of ownership.

Currently, NOW Patrol is building a custom cart to make it easier for volunteers to collect litter.

Stern said St. James still sees a lot of property crime. He’s hoping that by crowdsourcing more information, it can lead to a more tight-knit community.

“We’re seeing a lot of property crime. Pretty much every day there’s a post about how ‘someone broke into our garage,’ ‘someone smashed into our car windows.’ “How can we prevent being victims of these crimes?” Stern said.

The NOW Patrol can be found on Facebook and Twitter at wpgnowpatrol.

Stern is looking for more volunteers. For more information, visit fb.com/wpgnowpatrol and twitter.com/wpgnowpatrol