Contact: Marlene Feuer, Public Affairs Manager
Waste Management of New Mexico - O: 505-891-6548 | C: 505-350-0118

Waste Watch enhances safety in your community

Waste Management program works with law enforcement to protect homes, businesses

Farmington, NM May 8, 2006 - "To protect and to serve" is a common law enforcement motto, but it also applies to your local Waste Management collector. Each day, our crews drive your neighborhood streets and through commercial areas, serving you by collecting your waste. They also serve another role - because they know their routes so well, they know when something looks suspicious.

Waste Management drivers work with local law enforcement in our community to enhance safety through a program called Waste Watch. This neighborhood watch program helps protect your home or business and provides local police, fire and emergency services with a crew of alert, trained drivers who are in neighborhoods every day, said Dennis Gallegos, District Manager of Waste Management of Four Corners. Waste Watch is active in 37 communities served by Waste Management.

"Being on the safe side means checking out situations such as lights on when no one should be home or a warehouse lit up at the wrong time," Gallegos said. "The right information at the right time can halt or prevent crime or personal injuries. Our drivers are there to report such activities to the authorities."

Waste Management drivers collect trash from homes and businesses daily, giving them a strong familiarity with the area. In fact, Waste Management is often the only service that still goes door to door.

'Our regular routes help our crews become familiar with the norm, and they notice when something is out of the ordinary," Dennis Gallegos said. "Our drivers have the necessary tools and communications devices to quickly reach their dispatcher, meaning that suspicious or unusual activities are reported immediately."

Waste Management has partnered with local police and emergency response agencies in the City of Farmington. The drivers have received specialized training to know what to look for, how to react and how to report incidents.

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