More than 30 people showed up to Thursday night’s Harbor Live-aboard Community Meeting, ready to talk about a variety of pressing topics.
They spent the better part of an hour and a quarter talking about one subject, though — crime.
City and Borough of Juneau Public Libraries Director Robert Barr and Juneau Police Department Officer Ken Colon moderated the presentation and discussion, which examined solutions from security cameras to gates around the harbor to the formation of a neighborhood watch committee. One theme was clear from Colon: the solution will likely start with better communication among boat owners.
“You guys need to come together,” Colon said. “You can’t just do it on your own. You’ve got to come together as a group.”
Docks &Harbors began these meetings earlier this summer for that exact reason, hoping to start a conversation among boaters about the issues that matter most to them and to gather their feedback.
As shown during the first live-aboard meeting, which took place June 15, crime in Juneau’s harbors is a major concern for those who live on their boats. At that initial meeting, Barr conducted a poll of what people thought were the most pressing issues. The issue of crime received 26 votes, twice as many as sewage regulations, the second-highest vote getter.
Colon gave a presentation laying out the basics of preventing crime on an individual level. There were obvious pointers, such as not leaving an expensive laptop visible in a parked car. There were also some more in-depth concepts, with Colon explaining that a criminal will only commit a crime if he or she has the desire, the opportunity and the ability to do that crime.
The key for those living in the harbor, Colon said, was to eliminate that second point, taking away the opportunity for criminals to steal from boats or even set fire to them like one person did to a boat in Auke Bay in July.
As the meeting went on at the Juneau Yacht Club, anyone could look down on Aurora Harbor and see how wide open the area is. Live-aboard Kaity Janquart said it was “ridiculous” that there isn’t more security at the entrances of the harbor. Multiple meeting attendees mentioned that other harbors outside of Alaska had gates to ensure that only those with boats could gain access.
Sue Schrader, who doesn’t live on her boat but has had one in Juneau for 18 years, said she’s on the fence about instituting gates.
“That’s what I love about Alaska, is you go to Petersburg, you can go to Sitka, you can go to Wrangell, you can go wherever,” Schrader said. “I’ve not been in any gated harbor. We’ve been all over … do I want to see Juneau be the first one to institute that? If we have to, yeah, but I’d hate to see that.”
The session was more of a discussion than anything else, but the group decided to add one item to the agenda for the next meeting. By a show of hands, attendees signaled interest in exploring some kind of neighborhood watch program.
Schrader spoke highly of the Nextdoor app that allows neighbors to share information about suspicious people in the area quickly via email. Colon also said a neighborhood watch group in Federal Flats downtown has been working well, sharing anecdotes of residents alerting the police due to being vigilant.
“There’s only so much we can do as entities to help you all,” Colon said. “You make it happen.”
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com.
Juneau Police Department Officer Ken Colon explains security basics in regards to Aurora Harbor at the live-aboard community meeting on Thursday, Aug. 24. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)
