How to Perform a Neighborhood Watch

Neighborhood Watch programs are for any neighborhood

In 1972, The National Sheriffs Association (NSA) developed the National Neighborhood Watch program. According to NSA, "a Neighborhood Watch program is a group of people living in the same area who want to make their neighborhood safer by working together and in conjunction with local law enforcement to reduce crime and improve their quality of life." A Neighborhood Watch program allows individuals in a community to actively be involved in learning what to do in an emergency, and also help decrease crime in their surroundings.

Things You'll Need

• Neighbors

Instructions

1. Discuss with your neighbors any worries they have regarding the safety of your neighborhood and ask whether they would be interested in becoming involved in a neighborhood watch group. Your goal is to find like minded others who want to help make their community a safer place to live and play.

2. Meet with the neighbors you have identified as wanting to help and choose a block captain. The block captain is responsible for developing a telephone list of all neighbor's names and addresses and being the voice between the neighbors and the watch coordinator. The telephone list is used to communicate between neighbors in the case of an emergency.

3. Elect a Neighborhood Watch Coordinator whose role is to help expand the program by recruiting volunteers, and motivating neighbors to get involved with the neighborhood watch program. Ideally this person is someone who has a considerable amount of free time.

4. Schedule neighborhood meetings where police officers can train neighbors on ways to increase their observation skills, what to pay attention to and when to call 911. Some neighborhood watch communities create schedules for neighbors to take turns physically walking around their neighborhood at specific times to look for safety concerns, others simply use their increased observation skills on a daily basis to report suspicious activity.

References

• National Sheriffs Association

Resources

• National Neighborhood Watch Institute