Strategy

Neighborhood Watch programs deter and detect crimes and diminish opportunities for crime.

Crime Problem Addressed

This strategy reduces many types of crimes, including shoplifting, theft, burglary, purse snatching, and vandalism against and around our homes. Citizen preparedness and surveillance in Neighborhood Watch programs have led to a reduction of crime in residential areas.

Key Components

Neighborhood Watch primarily establishes links among those who live in neighborhoods, and between them and us. Basically, Neigborhood Watch is people (sometimes with community groups), taking systematic steps to reduce opportunities for crimes in and around their homes and communities. It includes training people to be eyes and ears for the police. In Neighborhood Watch areas, crime prevention officers and resident leaders assist home owners, family menbers in 

• reporting crime: effectively observing and reporting to police on crimes and suspicious activities that could lead to crime;
• operation identification: marking all equipment, machines, etc., with traceable identification numbers for deterrence and tracing;
• robbery prevention: eliminating "easy prey" crime opportunities;
• burglary prevention: adding security measures to impede criminals, detect criminal activity, and communicate with the police; and
• self-protection: learning to recognize dangerous situations, and learning how to prevent, avoid, or flee them.
   

Neighborhood Watch programs often have a selected leader act as the block security chief for the participating communities. One or more police officers are usually assigned to be the liaison with the Neighborhood Watch group. The local civic association or other business groups may also participate, lending extra eyes and ears.

Key Partnerships

Key partnerships are those among the businesses and business people themselves and their organization and leaders. They, in turn, form a key partnership with us. Other partners can be the local citizens' association, church or other groups interested in a safe and prosperous business base in the community.

Potential Obstacles

Sometimes it takes time to convince home owners that they can to a large degree control the incidence of crime in and around their communities. It can be difficult to keep people active in Neighborhood Watch when the costs and threat of crime have been reduced.

Signs of Success

In working together, all the members of the Neighborhood Watch benefit from obtaining up to date information on crimes and possible criminals that strike in our area through our Neighborhood Watch Newsletter System.  We would like to entice every home owner to join our newsletter subscribers list and use the "Community Intel Form" on the top of this page to report suspicious information.