Waste Management Partners with Police to Fight Crime and Watch Neighborhoods

Online, May 21, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Law enforcement in the Cities of Carlsbad, Oceanside, Del Mar and Solana Beach will now receive some extra help in keeping the streets safe. Trash and recycling truck drivers with Coast Waste Management and Waste Management of North County have been trained to watch out for suspicious activity and possible emergencies while out on their daily routes.

On April 14th and 15th representatives from the Carlsbad and Oceanside police departments, Encinitas sheriff department and a Waste Management security professional, and former FBI agent, trained nearly 150 Waste Management drivers to act as an extra set of eyes and ears for police, fire department and emergency services while servicing their customers. Drivers were taught key methods to observe and report suspicious activity.

"Since Waste Management drivers are familiar with their routes and are in the same neighborhoods every day, it puts them in the unique position to spot unusual activity and anything out of the ordinary," said Lori Somers, community and municipal relations manager of Waste Management of North County. "The Waste Watch program opens up the channels of communication with the authorities to help keep them informed and alert of what's happening in their city's streets and alleys."

"Waste Management has supported our department in a number of ways ranging from contributions to our annual employee recognition event to helping us raise funds for other departmental needs. In a perfect world, we hope that the drivers will never have to call us. Should the need arise for them to call us, I've assured them on behalf of our agency - we will be professional in our response and work with them to make Oceanside a better place for us all" Captain Reginald Grigsby, Oceanside Police Department, Investigations Division.

About Waste Management
As North America's largest provider of waste and environmental services, Waste Management is on a quest for environmental performance, to maximize resource value and minimize environmental impact. Waste is a valuable resource. Waste Management takes innovative steps to maximize and recover the resource that is in waste. To learn more visit www.wastemanagementsd.com and www.thinkgreen.com.