MONTCLARION: August 11, 2011

The adage that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself certainly applies to fighting crime in Oakland.

Citizens are banding together to keep a watch on their neighborhoods — to the point that they’re even paying extra for security patrols. Last week I wrote about Piedmont Pines’ pilot program with a local security company. Neighbors are voluntarily paying $30 a month to have Bay Alarm patrol their hills streets.

Meanwhile, the Montclair Safety & Improvement Council is partnering with a company called Logitech to offer security cameras at a community discount. Catching criminals on camera helps our cash-strapped police track suspects and make arrests.

Yes, critics may say that the Oakland hills are setting a bad precedent by paying for services we wouldn’t need if our city were fiscally responsible. However, we can be grateful that we’ve got citizens coming up with solutions instead of sitting on their hands.

AROUND TOWN: Montclair’s newest bagel shop has at least two things going for it in the competition with Noah’s. House of Bagels is a kosher-style deli and it’s filling a storefront (Argento Jewelers) that’s been empty for at least two years. That’s bound to generate some good will.

Speaking of new businesses, Toshi Sushi has quietly morphed into a new Japanese restaurant called Oni Sushi. When I stopped in the other night, the place