Neighborhood Crime Watch

If you want to make a significant impact in your neighborhood by reducing crime and not living in fear, a neighborhood crime watch is the solution. By organizing a neighborhood crime watch, you will partner with the police and help them watch over your community. By so doing, the police will also be more proactive in watching out for and preventing crime in your neighborhood. So, whether you call it a community watch, crime watch, or building watch, your neighborhood crime watch program will promote safety and in turn potentially increase the value of your real estate.

To set up a Neighborhood crime watch follow these steps:

First

A neighborhood crime watch can be initiated through a few simple steps by any individual, community organization, or law enforcement agency:

1. Hold a meeting to talk about crime problems and see if there is enough interest to organize a neighborhood crime watch.
2. Arrange for local law enforcement professionals to train neighbors in home security, crime patterns, what to watch for and how to report it.
3. Select an overall coordinator and block captains to organize volunteers and establish effective communications. The Block Captain's Handbook
4. Sign up volunteers, including homeowners and renters, business owners, the elderly, working parents, young people ... anybody who can help.

Second

Essential Neighborhood Crime Watch Program Materials & Organization:

1. Signage to be placed throughout the neighborhood. Metal Sign: 12"x18" - Neighborhood Crime Watch
2. Regular meetings to keep your organization organized.
3. Volunteers patrolling the neighborhood, on foot or in cars, to spot and report any problems.
4. Regular communications, such as fliers, newsletters, or paper or electronic bulletin board messages.
5. Special events to keep members interested and active, including helpful seminars, block parties, neighborhood clean-ups and tournaments.
6. Special safety programs to meet your community's unique needs, like a block parent program to help children during emergencies.

Third

What A Neighborhood Crime Watch Does:  Four ways to make your neighborhood safer.

1. Offers a service to mark valuable items with an identifying number to discourage theft and help the police track down stolen articles.
2. Utilizes proven techniques to make homes safer.
3. Organizes residents in watching over each other and the neighborhood, noting and reporting anything unusual or suspicious to the local authorities, including:
   • Screams or calls for help
   • Someone looking into cars or homes
   • A stranger removing items from unoccupied homes or closed businesses
   • Vehicles cruising slowly or without lights
   • Anyone being forced into a vehicle
   • A stranger stopping to talk to a child
4. Calling 911 or other local emergency number to:
   • Quickly explain what happened
   • Give your name and address
   • Describe the suspect's gender and race, age, height, weight, hair color, clothes, and distinguishing features like facial hair, scars, accent
   • If a vehicle is involved, report the color, make, model, year, license plate and distinguishing features, like bumper stickers or dents.

Partnering with your neighbors will begin the process of putting an end to crime in your neighborhood.  So, start a neighborhood crime watch and stop crime today!