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Neighborhood Watch

Police Departments across the country are learning that community participation in anti-crime programs is essential. One of the most effective ways to promote citizen interaction with police is the sharing of information. Citizen groups determine specific needs or problems and then share this information with local police. The police then act on this information and report back to the group on their progress. This program also works when the police go to public groups and organizations and make them aware of specific criminal activities or the needs of the police department.

An officer and a citizen pose in front of a neighborhood watch sign

The Neighborhood Watch concept is designed to target specific geographical areas and to assist citizens in these areas to:

  • Establish an organizational structure and create an information-sharing network.
  • Help introduce neighbors and create social ties that will help them work together.
  • Allow police to train citizens on how to be proactive by preventing crime and how to recognize and report criminal activities.
  • Access information and assistance from police and other Government agencies that can help to improve living conditions.
  • Provide the community with a strong unified voice to inform community leaders of programs and actions that the “people” support.

Neighborhood Watch cannot only be utilized as a strong tool to fight crime; it is also a strong social organization. It can also be used to enact other projects such as Community Clean up, Bus Stop Safety Watch for children, locating and assisting citizens with special needs.

Neighborhood Watch is not a vigilante organization! It promotes awareness techniques and reporting crime, not physical confrontation of criminals.

“In today’s world we must learn to stand together to fight against injustice. We must recognize that CRIME and CRIMINALS are a threat to us all. Only then can we join together and stand united against the threat and only then will we notice a change.”

For more information on the Neighborhood Watch program, contact Crime Prevention Officer David Cole at 446-5403 or 441-9580.