So, I got this idea a while back. Living in Garfield Heights, I wanted to do a little something for the neighborhood. You know, get involved. And part of that, I thought, meant touching base with the Garfield Heights Police Department. Seemed logical, right? If you’re thinking about community safety, they’re the folks you’d probably talk to.
My Little Project Idea
My plan wasn’t anything huge. Just wanted to see about organizing a “slow down” campaign for our street. We’ve got a lot of kids, and cars just fly by sometimes. I figured I’d need some advice, maybe some data on speeding complaints if they had any, or even just a nod of approval that what I was planning was okay by them. Simple, or so I thought.
The Process – Oh Boy
First, I went to their website. Looked for a community officer, a contact for neighborhood initiatives, anything like that. Found some general numbers and an email. So, I drafted a nice email explaining my idea. Waited a week. Nothing.
Then I called the non-emergency line. Got transferred a couple of times. Each person was polite enough, but it felt like nobody really knew where to send me. “Community projects? Hmm, let me see.” That was a common refrain. It wasn’t like they were being difficult, more like my request just didn’t fit into any of their boxes.
- Filled out an online ‘contact us’ form as a backup. Heard nothing.
- Tried calling at different times of day. Sometimes I’d get a voicemail.
- Eventually, someone suggested I should probably write a formal letter. A physical letter! In this day and age.
It felt like I was trying to navigate a maze with no map. Everyone I spoke to seemed genuinely busy, like they were juggling a dozen things. I got the impression that community-led stuff, especially small things like mine, wasn’t really something they had a streamlined process for. It was all geared towards reacting to incidents, not so much proactive, small-scale community stuff from a random guy like me.
So Why Am I Telling You This?
Now, you might be thinking, “Dude, why all the effort for a speed sign idea?” Well, it wasn’t just about the speed signs anymore. It became this weird personal quest. And it all started because I’d just quit my old job. Yeah, a bit of a story there.
I used to work for this big logistics company, super corporate, you know? Long hours, high stress. One day, they did this massive restructuring. My whole department got wiped out. Just like that. No warning. One day you’re managing a team, next day you’re packing a box. It was rough, not gonna lie. Left a real sour taste.
So, I had all this sudden free time. And after the initial shock, I thought, “Okay, new chapter. Maybe I can finally do something more meaningful, something local.” That’s where the Garfield Heights community idea came from. I was trying to find a new sense of purpose, I guess. And dealing with the police department for my little project, it was… an education. It showed me a whole different kind of bureaucracy, not corporate, but local government style.
It wasn’t like the corporate world where they’d just ignore you to be mean; here, it felt more like they were swamped, or the systems just weren’t there for what I was asking. It was a real eye-opener.
What Happened In The End?
Did I get my speed campaign up and running with the GHPD’s help? Nope. Not in the way I imagined. After a few weeks of this back and forth, or rather, back and no forth, I kind of put that specific plan on the shelf. It was just too much running around for what it was.
But here’s the funny thing. All that frustration? It actually pushed me in a different direction. I started talking to my neighbors directly, just informally. Found out a lot of them felt the same way. We ended up organizing a little neighborhood group ourselves. We pooled some money, got some of those bright “kids playing” signs, and just put them up on our own lawns during peak play times. Did it solve speeding overnight? No. But it got us talking, working together. And that felt pretty good.
As for the Garfield Heights Police Department, well, my experience was just my experience. Maybe someone else trying something different would have a totally different story. But for me, it was a lesson in how things sometimes work – or don’t – at a local level. And it indirectly led to me connecting with my neighbors in a way I hadn’t before. So, silver linings, right?
