Northern Division Neighborhood Watch

Tips: Starting a Neighborhood Watch Program in your neighborhood

Set Up Meeting

Getting Started:

Getting projects, including a neighborhood watch, off the ground takes time. Take one step at a time. Problems don’t develop overnight and unfortunately neither do the solutions.

SURVEY neighborhood residents and business people asking them about their concerns and interests and their willingness to work for their neighborhood. Create a detailed list (e.g. name, address, telephone numbers ) of those interested in joining a neighborhood or block watch.
SEEK guidance, assistance and information from existing community & not-for-profit organizations and experienced community activists. Members of those organizations may wish to join your effort. Additionally, their by-laws and mission statements may be good models on which to draw. By networking, coordinating, cooperating, sharing and collaborating, neighborhood residents and business people can achieve their objectives more easily than if they were working in isolation. Further, when alliances among different groups are established, people see that they have more in common than they previously imagined, and that there is more to be gained by partnering on projects.

DEVELOP strategies with a core group on recruiting and mobilizing a larger group of interested people in order to hold a start-up/planning meeting. Conduct outreach to other stakeholders including religious institutions, hospitals, schools and businesses. If safety is a concern, advertise the start-up meeting only by word of mouth through trusted residents and select a meeting location and time which will not intensify the anxiety.

CONTACT the police to develop a good working relationship. You might want to invite the police to your start-up meeting. Anti-crime activists achieve good results when they work collaboratively with law enforcement and other justice agencies. Approach the Neighborhood Watch reporesentative from the division to help you set up your initial meeting. Discussions with law enforcement should include an assessment of the problems in your community. Also address with them membership recruitment, bylaws and training. An ongoing relationship should be fostered!

HOLD THE START-UP MEETING

Formulate a mission statement and establish priorities or goals for the organization.
INITIATE: training in crime prevention techniques. Learn how to identify drug-dealing and other suspicious situations and find out how to report information to the police. Also ask how to make accurate descriptions of persons who appear to be involved in criminal activities, where and whom to call in an emergency. Train volunteers on resource referrals. IDENTIFY additional activities that the neighborhood watch may take on including community clean-ups, block parties, community gardens, street lighting, code enforcement, and youth recreation.
The key to having a successful first meeting is to involve everyone. It is important that the leader or facilitator motivate and encourage those in attendance to become active participants and express their views to help residents overcome that sense of powerlessness. The organizer must be able to recognize and appreciate different viewpoints. To ensure a successful meeting, below are some suggestions to follow:

Give your neighbors an opportunity to socialize before the meeting begins.

Prepare an agenda, which should represent a collaborative effort of a core group of dedicated residents.

Establish guidelines to encourage honesty, confidentiality and responsibility to the group.

Have those in attendance introduce themselves. Prepare and distribute to the group an attendance sheet with each participant's address and phone number.

Early in the meeting, allow everyone to talk about themselves, their values, experiences, their stake in the community and their ideas. Identify basic safety issues in and around your neighborhood. Brainstorm about their underlying causes.

Establish priorities and goals and formulate a mission statement for the watch. While there will be diversity of opinions, build on the ideas that are agreed upon.

Develop an action or strategic plan identifying specific community changes. The plan should be precise, specifying who will perform each task and the timetable. The planning process should be inclusive, involving people who have influence in the community (e.g. elected officals, clergy) as well as others.

Identify key people and resources to help you solve problems and lend support (e.g. police, District Attorney, local elected officials, clergy, youth & business leaders).

Elect a coordinator or chairperson. Establish committees, if possible, which will involve other residents and stakeholders. These units can invite guest speakers, distribute flyers and brochures, work on communications and publications and plan events and projects.

Provide refreshments which will present another opportunity for socialization.

Solving security and other problems in a community can seem daunting. Problems associated with crime, housing, economic opportunities and the environment are complex and interrelated. The best approaches to reducing crime and fear as well as other systematic problems in neighborhoods require organized efforts involving collaborative problem solving. A grassroots neighborhood group has the power, strength and safety of numbers. While a group is more productive than one person, the same is true for organizations that work together as allies. Partnering with law enforcement and joining forces with business and religious leaders, youth-oriented organizations, other civic groups and stakeholders maximizes the neighborhood group’s effectiveness. When you have many people and groups with different views, resources and skills working together to solve community problems, goals can be realized. Neighborhood or block watches are driven by the energy and dedication of their members and the hope of improving their quality of life.

Getting Started:

Getting projects, including a neighborhood watch, off the ground takes time. Take one step at a time. Problems don’t develop overnight and unfortunately neither do the solutions.

SURVEY neighborhood residents and business people asking them about their concerns and interests and their willingness to work for their neighborhood. Use the information from the survey to identify a laundry list of issues. Create a detailed list (e.g. name, address, telephone numbers ) of those interested in joining a neighborhood or block watch.

SEEK guidance, assistance and information from existing community & not-for-profit organizations and experienced community activists. Members of those organizations may wish to join your effort. Additionally, their by-laws and mission statements may be good models on which to draw. By networking, coordinating, cooperating, sharing and collaborating, neighborhood residents and business people can achieve their objectives more easily than if they were working in isolation. Further, when alliances among different groups are established, people see that they have more in common than they previously imagined, and that there is more to be gained by partnering on projects.

DEVELOP strategies with a core group on recruiting and mobilizing a larger group of interested people in order to hold a start-up/planning meeting. Conduct outreach to other stakeholders including religious institutions, hospitals, schools and businesses. If safety is a concern, advertise the start-up meeting only by word of mouth through trusted residents and select a meeting location and time which will not intensify the anxiety.

CONTACT the police to develop a good working relationship. You might want to invite the police to your start-up meeting. Anti-crime activists achieve good results when they work collaboratively with law enforcement and other justice agencies. Also address with them membership recruitment, bylaws and training. THE START-UP MEETING. Formulate a mission statement and establish priorities or goals for the organization.

CONDUCT outreach to the business community including the Kiwanis, Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce. Work to maintain relationships with these stakeholders as they can be sources of continuing support.

INITIATE training in crime prevention techniques. Identify drug-dealing and other suspicious situations and find out how to report information to the police, how to make accurate descriptions of persons who appear to be involved in criminal activities, where and whom to call in an emergency, how to use radios and self defense tactics. Train volunteers on resource referrals. Some law enforcement agencies operate mini-academies for community crime-prevention groups to train volunteers in the above-mentioned topics and provide an overview of the law.

DEVELOP policies and procedures to encourage people to join the neighborhood watch/ patrol. New recruits should be trained in the principles or mission of the organization. Encourage new members to actively pursue their interests and serve on any committees.

IDENTIFY additional activities that the neighborhood watch may take on including community clean-ups, block parties, community gardens, street lighting, code enforcement, and youth recreation.

Start-up Meeting:

The key to having a successful first meeting is to involve everyone. It is important that the leader or facilitator motivate and encourage those in attendance to become active participants and express their views to help residents overcome that sense of powerlessness. The organizer must be able to recognize and appreciate different viewpoints. To ensure a successful meeting, below are some suggestions to follow:

Give your neighbors an opportunity to socialize before the meeting begins.

Prepare an agenda, which should represent a collaborative effort of a core group of dedicated residents.

Establish guidelines to encourage honesty, confidentiality and responsibility to the group.

Have those in attendance introduce themselves. Prepare and distribute to the group an attendance sheet with each participant's address and phone number.

Early in the meeting, allow everyone to talk about themselves, their values, experiences, their stake in the community and their ideas. Identify basic safety issues in and around your neighborhood. Brainstorm about their underlying causes.

Establish priorities and goals and formulate a mission statement for the watch. While there will be diversity of opinions, build on the ideas that are agreed upon.

Develop an action or strategic plan identifying specific community changes. The plan should be precise, specifying who will perform each task and the timetable. The planning process should be inclusive, involving people who have influence in the community (e.g. elected officals, clergy) as well as others.

Identify key people and resources to help you solve problems and lend support (e.g. police, District Attorney, local elected officials, clergy, youth & business leaders).

Elect a coordinator or chairperson. Establish committees, if possible, which will involve other residents and stakeholders. These units can invite guest speakers, distribute flyers and brochures, work on communications and publications and plan events and projects.

Basic Leadership:

The coordinator or chairperson is critical to the success of the watch group. Therefore, the group should look for someone who has good communication, listening and negotiating skills. Someone who is well respected in the community and would see the position as a civic duty would be a good candidate. His/her duties may include:


Maintaining membership rolls

Acting as a liaison between the group and law enforcement, civic groups,
business leaders and elected officials

Arranging and convening meetings and trainings

Obtaining crime prevention materials

Developing strategies to sustain and expand the program
The watch group may also consist of block or street captains who are directly involved with their immediate neighbors and store owners. Their duties may include:


Acting as a liaison between residents and the coordinator

Contacting neighbors about meetings and other events

Relaying and distributing information and resource material to members

Visiting and inviting new residents to join the watch

Surveying issues and identifying block problems

Checking on shut-in residents

Leaders should not serve permanently. New leadership should be cultivated and encouraged to build participation and motivate residents and others.

Follow-up:

Congratulations! Now that you have formed the neighborhood watch/block watch and gained the initial enthusiasm, it will require effort to sustain the initiative. Expect that as you build your group, there will be setbacks and disagreements. That is part of the process, and you should not be discouraged. Remember it is the health and welfare of our children, families and neighbors that encourage us to take on these challenges that can feel overwhelming at times. Try to minimize the divisions and problems and focus on what has been accomplished. Then proceed to the next goal. Soon after forming a neighborhood watch, consider the following:


Distribute an organizational list of members with addresses and phone numbers, block maps and telephone tree assignments. If a patrol was established, finalize a tour schedule and distribute to volunteers.

Aluminum signs are preferable to show that the neighborhood practices neighborhood watch. When the signs are ready, arrange a community/block party to celebrate neighborhood pride and unity.

It is important to try to attract new members. Harness the talents and energies of watch volunteers to recruit new blood. Engage those families in your neighborhood who are not participants in order to maintain a solid organizational foundation. New residents in your neighborhood should be welcomed. The best way to recruit participants is through one-on-one contact and visits.

Although frequent meetings require some energy, they present an opportunity for your neighbors to socialize and become better acquainted.
In addition to reviewing quality of life issues and tracking neighborhood conditions, the meetings could be educational. There are many resources on which your watch group can draw to help you develop meeting topics. Federal, state and local law enforcement and judicial agencies feature public affairs offices. In addition, municipal or county agencies including consumer affairs and public works departments as well as hospitals and public utilities can provide information/speakers for a meeting. Consider these meeting topics:


Personal safety

Self defense & observation skills

Child security

Home security & surveys

Property identification

First aid



Fire safety and prevention

Victim rights and services

Court monitoring

Consumer frauds & scams

Traffic safety & drunk driving

Internet access & security

Safety strategies for seniors

Graffiti and vandalism prevention

Home & garden beautification

Renters’ rights

Eliminating drug dealing and gangs

Conflict resolution/mediation

Schools/gangs/truancy

Conduct an informal survey among your members to decide what topics are of interest. Establish priorities for which subjects will be featured at meetings. This should be a collaborative effort. Create a committee to develop the theme of each meeting and arrange for speakers and/or videotapes.

After setting a meeting date, create an agenda and draft a notice for distribution.
Use a telephone tree to remind participants of the meeting two days before the event. Consider using e-mail as well.

Keep a record documenting changes brought about by the watch and any feedback. Maintaining this history can be an invaluable guide for the group. Reviewing regularly the watch group's achievements, can spur the group onto even greater heights.
An Effective Meeting:

The coordinator or chair should plan a meeting with a group, not by him or herself. It is important to be clear about your purpose for having the meeting in the first place. Meetings without clear goals are confusing, boring and can discourage participation. An effective and informative meeting will encourage participation and enhance the watch's effort and reputation. It will foster a good impression about your group. When meetings are well run – where people's opinions are respected and an agenda is followed – residents will feel more willing to participate in other activities sponsored by the organization. In addition to formulating an agenda, set ground rules for the meeting, including how long a person may speak on a topic. It is important for the convener to keep the discussion moving and focused. Prioritize the issues. However, the chair must not abuse the power of his/her position. He/she should express appreciation for people's input. No one person should dominate the meeting. At the end of the meeting, the chair should summarize and reflect on what was said at the meeting and discuss next steps or strategies.

The watch group should try to maintain a regular meeting cycle with a definite starting and ending time for each gathering. It is important to have a sign-in sheet to update your membership and contact list. After the meeting, prepare minutes summarizing the key points of the meeting which should be distributed to all members and other interested parties.

Meeting Agenda:

A typical meeting agenda should include the following:


Information sharing/gathering -- discuss neighborhood strengths, weaknesses and problems. Identify any suspicious activity in the community. Review procedures on what to do if volunteers or residents see, hear or smell anything suspicious.

Patrol report and reports from other committees including finance.

Featured topic -- one meeting can feature home security: property identification and engraving, installing outside lighting, security devices, use of automatic timers, hedge pruning and window decals. The watch can also host a crime prevention officer who can arrange for home protection surveys which involve conducting an inventory of property and the engraving of valuables. Discuss the idea of video-taping the interior of each home or apartment to document contents for insurance purposes. (The video-tape should be stored in a safe place outside your home.)

Discussion of other issues, future meetings and events (e.g. sanitation--trash removal & code enforcement).

Assignments -- based on the above, delegate tasks to volunteers.

Closing -- time & place of next meeting.

Adjournment & refreshments -- seek donations for refreshments from local businesses.
Members should receive the meeting agenda before the meeting so all are familiar with the topics.

The Block Captain or Coodinator Duties

The coordinator or chairperson is critical to the success of the watch group. Therefore, the group should look for someone who has good communication, listening and negotiating skills. Someone who is well respected in the community and would see the position as a civic duty would be a good candidate. His/her duties may include:


Maintaining membership rolls

Acting as a liaison between the group and law enforcement, civic groups,
business leaders and elected officials

Arranging and convening meetings and trainings

Obtaining crime prevention materials

Developing strategies to sustain and expand the program
The watch group may also consist of block or street captains who are directly involved with their immediate neighbors and store owners. Their duties may include:


Acting as a liaison between residents and the coordinator

Contacting neighbors about meetings and other events

Relaying and distributing information and resource material to members

Visiting and inviting new residents to join the watch

Surveying issues and identifying block problems

Checking on shut-in residents

New leadership should be cultivated and encouraged to build participation and motivate residents and others.