Fort Hill Neighborhood Watch president Alease Brown to step down in the fall

Fort Hill Neighborhood Watch co-founder and president Alease Brown held back tears Monday as the City of Lynchburg and the Lynchburg Police Department presented her with a plaque for her service. Brown helped found the program 25 years ago and will step down as president this fall.

By: Annie McCallum | Lynchburg News and Advance
Published: July 15, 2008

For 25 years Alease Brown has policed her neighborhood. Monday night wasn’t supposed to be any different.

Brown headed to the Fort Avenue Fire Station for the regular monthly meeting of her neighborhood watch group, which she co-founded in 1983.

When she arrived she found that what’s usually a small group had ballooned into a large gathering of neighbors celebrating Brown’s devotion to her neighborhood.

“Oh my Lord,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine.”

Brown, who is currently president of the watch group, will step down from that post in September. Because today is her birthday, her neighbors wanted to celebrate.

Startled and overwhelmed by the group of almost 30 crammed into the firehouse kitchen, Brown removed her glasses and rested her hand on her mouth.

“We are here tonight for a special event. We want to recognize you,” said Cindy Kozerow, crime prevention specialist, who added Brown has been a longtime active community member and was a schoolteacher in city schools for 20 years.

“Keeping kids straight and then keeping the neighborhood straight — that’s great.”

Parks Snead, acting police chief, hailed Brown as a major reason why neighborhood streets were safe. Snead presented Brown with a plaque and commended her on taking an interest in her community, saying it makes his job easier.

“I want to admit I didn’t do all of this,” Brown said.

But Kozerow and other watch members disagreed, saying Brown was a force within the community. They remarked Monday night’s surprise was probably the first big event to happen in the neighborhood Brown didn’t know about.

Brown, along with Alice Mabry, formed the Fort Hill Neighborhood Watch group about 25 years ago. It was the city’s first neighborhood watch.

“I had a lot invested in the neighborhood,” she said, “I wasn’t ready to give it up to people breaking the law.”