Northern Division Neighborhood Watch

Starting a Neighborhood Watch Program

How to form a Neighborhood Watch Group in Your Neighborhood

Becoming involved with your community and neighborhood can be a rewarding experience. Keeping your neighborhoods safe increases the quality of life and property values. Here's how you can become involved in Neighborhood Watch.

·Any community resident can join -- young and old, single and married, renter and homeowner.
·A few concerned residents, a community organization, or a law enforcement agency can spearhead the effort to organize a Watch.
·Members learn how to make their homes more secure, watch out for each other and the neighborhood, and report activities that raise their suspicions to the police or sheriff's office.
You can form a Watch group around any geographical unit: a block, apartment, park, business area, public housing complex, office and marina. Watch groups are not vigilantes. They are extra eyes and ears for reporting crime and helping neighbors. Neighborhood Watch helps build pride and serves as a springboard for efforts that address community concerns such as recreation for youth, childcare, and affordable housing.


How to Get Started....

·Form a small planning committee of neighbors to discuss needs, the level of interest, possible challenges, and the Watch concept.
·Contact the local police or sheriffs' department, or local crime prevention organization, to discuss Neighborhood Watch and local crime problems. Invite a law enforcement officer to attend your meeting.
·Publicize your meeting at least two weeks in advance with door-to-door fliers and follow up with phone calls the day before.
·Select a meeting place that is accessible to people with disabilities.
·Hold an initial meeting to gauge neighbors' interest; establish purpose of program; and begin to identify issues that need to be addressed. Stress that a Watch group is an association of neighbors who look out for each other's families and property, alert the police to any suspicious activities or crime in progress, and work together to make their community a safer and better place to live.

Becoming a Block Captain....

·Ask for block captain volunteers who are responsible for relaying information to members on their block, keeping up-to-date information on residents, and making special efforts to involve the elderly, working parents, and young people. Block captains also can serve as liaisons between the neighborhood and the police and communicate information about meetings and crime incidents to all residents.

A active Neighborhood Watch...

·Establish a regular means of communicating with Watch members—e.g., newsletter, telephone tree, e-mall, fax, etc.
·Prepare a neighborhood map showing names, addresses, and phone numbers of participating households and distribute to members. Block captains keep this map up to date, contacting newcomers to the neighborhood and rechecking occasionally with ongoing participants. With guidance from a law enforcement agency, the Watch trains its members in home security techniques, observation skills, and crime reporting. Residents also learn about the types of crime that affect the area.