NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
NEIGHBOR HOOD WATCH is one of the most effective and least costly
ways to prevent crime.
NEIGHBORHOOD
WATCH forges bonds among area residents. It helps reduce neighborhood
crimes and creates a partnership between law enforcement and the
community.
NEIGHBORHOOD
WATCH fights the isolation that crime both creates and feeds upon.
Neighbors
working together in cooperation with law enforcement makes the best
crime fighting team around!
Any
community resident can join a Neighborhood Watch; young or old,
single or married, renter or homeowner.
Members
can learn how to make their homes more secure, watch out for each
other and the neighborhood, and report suspicious activities to
the Sheriff's Department.
You
can form a Neighborhood Watch group for any area: a street, mobile
home park, apartment complex, marina, community recreation center,
or park.
Neighborhood
Watch groups are not vigilantes. They are extra eyes and ears for
reporting crime and helping neighbors.
Neighborhood
Watch builds pride and serves as a springboard for efforts that
address community needs.
Citizen
involvement is essential to combat this social crisis.
.
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STARTING A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
- Contact your
local Sheriff's station for assistance in training residents in
home security and reporting crime.
- Select a
block captain who will be responsible for organizing meetings
and relaying information to group members.
- Encourage
participation and commitment among residents and neighbors. Make
a special effort to involve the elderly.
- If you are
interested in becoming a block captain, call your local Sheriff's
station's Crime Prevention Unit for additional information.
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SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES TO LOOK FOR . . .
- Someone screaming
or shouting for help, or being forced into a vehicle
- Someone looking
into windows or parked cars
- Property
being taken out of closed businesses or houses where no one is
at home
- Vehicles
cruising aimlessly
- Someone spraying
graffiti on buildings
- Strangers
sitting in a car, stopping to talk to kids
- Abandoned
vehicles, suspicious people, unusual noises
- A sudden
change in a neighbor's routine: newspapers piling up; drapes drawn;
mailbox overflowing with mail, etc
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ENHANCE YOUR COMMUNITY WELL-BEING . . .
- Organize
regular meetings to discuss current issues such as: childcare
for school age kids, drug abuse, gang activity, hate crimes, recreational
activities for young people
- Encourage
the use of deadbolt locks, smoke alarms and other safety devices
in homes and commercial buildings
- Adopt a school
or playground; start a block parent program
- Form a disaster
preparedness program for your neighborhood
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