C.H.A.T. Motto
“One is better than none. Ten is better than one.”
Hello and Welcome to C.H.A.T.
We meet as individual persons (no titles or positions) to make a positive change in our City. We are all stakeholders because we all belong to the City of Hawthorne, and therefore, have a vested interest in making our City a better place to live in and raise our children.
We meet because no Police Dept. by itself has the ability to stop crime. We have to assist our local Police Dept. to deter crime. If we do preventive maintenance in our community, we will prevent crime from settling into our City.
Origins of C.H.A.T.
C.H.A.T. is the creation of Lt. Steven Romero of the Hawthorne Police Department. Lt. Romero is a Hawthorne native who has seen the City grow to what it is today. In 2007, Lt. Romero helped re-establish the Neighborhood Watch Program for the Holly Park Homeowners Association with a noticeable reduction on crime for the Holly Park area.
Upon hearing the positive results of the Neighborhood Watch program in Holly Park, other Hawthorne Homeowner Assoociatios (HOA) approached Lt. Romero about starting a Neighborhood Watch program in their neighborhoods. Realizing the bigger picture, Lt. Romero brought together the various HOAs, Community Groups, and Local Business in Hawthorne under one umbrella called C.H.A.T. The result is increased communication and participation amongst the various groups in Hawthorne. Successful practices from one group were passed along to the other group members.
As we course through 2010, C.H.A.T. has matured into a city-wide program and now encompases more than just Neighborhood Watch. C.H.A.T. will, in the near future, cover diverse areas that have a positive impact on the quality of life for the residents of the City of Hawthorne. These areas include Community Patrols / Crime Prevention, Disaster Preparedness, Philantropy Netrworking, Neighborhood Watch, Community Assistance Referrals.