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‘Do not deliver’ list created to help pizza delivery drivers

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By Angela Watson Gay, Staff Writer 10:30 PM Wednesday, October 7, 2009

DAYTON — The Five Oaks Neighborhood Association and the Dayton Police Department are working to make a dangerous job — pizza delivery driver — a lot safer.

What amounts to a “do not deliver list,” consisting of the addresses of vacant houses, will be provided to pizza restaurants so they know when not to follow through on an order.

Marc Suda, president of the Five Oaks Neighborhood Association, said the association’s list contains about 160 addresses. The neighborhood has about 1,600 households, he said.

“The foreclosures have affected us as they have everywhere and we’re trying to come up with a way to get people back into those houses,” he said Wednesday, Oct. 7. “Part of that is you’ve got to tackle the safety concerns.

“We’ve been proactive of getting a list of chronically vacant houses ... can’t move in, they need quite a bit of work. I called it a demo wish list.”

The collaboration comes in the aftermath of the brutal beating of Yeung W. Ng, 66, a Donatos Pizza delivery driver. On July 28, he delivered to a house in the 300 block of Rockwood Avenue when four males assaulted him and took his vehicle, according to Dayton police.

He was found in the house, which was vacant, suffering from head and facial injuries that sent him to a hospital in critical condition.

“The guy probably would’ve handed (them) the money if (they’d) asked him versus beating him to an inch of his life,” Suda said.

The neighborhood association donated money to Ng and got him flowers. “It was to let him know that this was unacceptable and, ‘we hope that you feel better.’ ”

Suda also contacted some members of the police department in the Fifth District.

“I’m happy with the relationship that we have with them,” he said. “Sgt. (Wendy) Stiver e-mailed me back and suggested the list.”

Stiver said, “They have a large neighborhood association and a lot of participation.”

But even small associations should be enthusiastic about compiling their own lists, said Stiver, who notes that no one knows a neighborhood better than those who live in it.

“If I take an officer on the street and assign him to collect these addresses then he’s not doing police work, per say. We have community members who want to help,” she said.

“Obviously there are a lot of things they can’t do. This is something they (citizens) can do that doesn’t put them in harm’s way.”

The benefits of the list are two-fold.

Stiver said the plan is to build a database to compile as much information as possible about the owner of a vacant property. Police say vacant structures are hotbeds of illegal activity, including prostitution, drug use and sales, arson, and theft of things such as copper plumbing.

“The owner of the house has to step forward and say, ‘I want to prosecute,’ ” Stiver said. Without a victim there’s no prosecution, she said.

“It’s going to take a long time,” Stiver said. “One neighborhood association might take three months, another neighborhood association might do it faster, but we’re relying on them to make this happen.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2374 or anwatson@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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