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Neighborhood
Watch
The
Neighborhood Watch Program is a program that enables the police and the
community to work together to make specific geographical areas more
crime-resistant. It is a neighborhood and community-based effort,
designed to help citizens and the police in preventing primarily
residential burglary and other neighborhood-related crimes. In harmony
with the philosophy of Community Policing, Neighborhood Watch encourages
strong working relationships between the police and the citizens.
Neighborhood Watch programs are known to instill a greater sense of
security and well-being. They can also reduce the fear of crime in the
community as well as create a greater "sense of community" and put the
"neighbor" back into "neighborhood." Neighborhood Watch also brings law
enforcement and the community together as a team to help reduce crime
opportunities.
Neighborhood Watch is a program that: 1) Teaches citizens how to reduce
the risk of victimization at home and away; 2) Trains citizens on the
importance of recognizing suspicious activities and how to report them;
3) Teaches residents how to make their homes more secure; 4) Allows
neighbors to get to know each other so that any out-of-place activity
can be reported promptly; and 5) Creates a cohesive body of concerned
citizens that can address other issues that concern the entire
community.
While a
Neighborhood Watch program is normally thought of as being most
effective in high-crime areas, it can also be used as a vehicle to
enhance a neighborhood that is not experiencing problems.
All
that is needed to start a Neighborhood Watch group is a person who is
willing to act as a "captain". This person (with the help of the police
department) would distribute invitations to the homes in a designated
area and assist in hosting a Neighborhood Watch meeting. At the meeting,
a representative from the police department would address the group
regarding issues such as suspicious situations, when/how to call the
police, and
residential security. If a sufficient
number of homes are represented, Neighborhood Watch signs are installed
in the neighborhood.
Anyone interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch group
should call the Spring Grove Police Department at (815) 675-2596.
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