Neighborhood alert is a network of residents that work together to fight crime within their communities. It combines the best of citizen policing and community action to reduce residential crime. Neighborhood watch groups are a highly effective anti-crime program because they provide local eyes and ears that can detect suspicious activity before it escalates.
When a resident sees something that is out of the ordinary, they call police or their fellow members to report it. They should not try to stop the criminal act themselves because this can lead to confrontations. Neighborhood Watch promotes reporting to law enforcement, not physical confrontation of criminals.
Neighborhood watch members are also encouraged to take additional steps to prevent crime, such as making their homes appear occupied when they are away, keeping the lawn mowed and picking up trash. Many programs also encourage neighbors to mark their possessions with a label or sticker to make them more identifiable in case they are stolen. Some programs even provide window decals for participants to use.
The first step in setting up a neighborhood watch is to hold a kick-off meeting and invite the area metro council member and city mayor, along with police officers who patrol your area. This will give everyone the chance to meet each other and discuss the issues facing your community. At this event you can unveil or plant the Neighborhood Watch street signs.
The next step is to recruit residents and hold regular meetings. The meetings can include presentations on topics such as drug abuse, “hate” or bias-motivated violence, child care before and after school and crime in schools, senior safety, personal safety and terrorism. Some groups also translate their crime and safety materials into Spanish for non-English speakers.
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