About Neighborhood Watch Programs
The neighborhood-watch program is one of the oldest resources people have at their disposal to protect their neighborhoods against crime. Neighborhood-watch programs give citizens a sense of control concerning their home and environment. If you are interested in starting one, your local law-enforcement agency can help you organize a program.
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History
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The official Neighborhood Watch Program began in the 1960s as a response to a case in which a woman, Kitty Genovese, was raped while bystanders did nothing about it. However, the history of the neighborhood-watch concept can trace its roots all the way back to colonial settlements. Night watchmen used to walk the streets at night and watch over the town. Neighborhood watch is sponsored by the National Sheriffs Association (NSA), as a result of citizens and law-enforcement agents banding together to help citizens protect their neighborhoods.
Function
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Neighborhood-watch programs depend on citizens to organize themselves and to work with local law-enforcement agencies to keep watch with a trained ear and eye. A neighborhood-watch program depends on participants keep an eye on the neighborhood at all times, which means designating residents to play lookout at different times. Each resident should report anything out of the ordinary--such as abandoned cars or trucks--and check with local law-enforcement agencies about crimes that have been committed in the neighborhood.
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Identification
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Most neighborhood-watch programs entail posting signs in the neighborhood to deter criminals from illicit activity. When driving through a neighborhood, you will usually be welcomed by a very large sign that lets you know you are being watched. Most such signs display a portrait of a burglar with a slash through it and the word WARNING, along with a statement like the following: "Our neighbors are watching over one another's family members and property, and have been trained to report suspicious activity or persons in the neighborhood to the (name of county) sheriff's office."
Effects
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According to statistics gathered by the Neighborhood Watch Program, its biggest success has been a reduction in burglaries. When a burglar sees signs posted throughout the neighborhood, he is less likely to rob someone's home. Eighty percent of people involved in the program participate in Operation Identification, which has them placing an identification number on their belongings so the goods can be identified if they are stolen. Home-security surveys are sponsored by 68 percent of neighborhood-watch members, and 38 percent of them participate in a beautification program to make their neighborhoods more appealing, as well.
Warning
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Even if you are part of a neighborhood-watch program, never try to apprehend a criminal yourself: Always call the police. The neighborhood-watch program is not a vigilante program. All that is asked of citizens who participate is to be alert and protective of the neighborhood. Residents should report all suspicious activity to local law-enforcement agencies and to never take the law into their own hands.
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