Neighborhood Watch Group - How to Start

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Draw a large map of all the streets and households to be covered by your NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH organization. Start with a manageable number of homes at first; you can always add other areas. Design a flyer or letter of invitation and see that one is delivered to every home on your target list. Teenagers and Scouts in the neighborhood can play a valuable role by delivering announcements and information. Follow up each invitation with a call or personal visit, reminding neighbors of the meeting time and place. Try to get each household to commit at least one adult member to the meeting so you can estimate potential attendance. All family members are welcome to join NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH, as young people can add substantially to the success of the program. Senior citizen participation is also a plus; retired seniors are home and can observe the neighborhood when many other adults are at work. Pi?111111111.111117,. Eau= Arrive early at the first meeting to introduce the crime prevention officer and help everyone become acquainted. Following the officer's presentation, ask for details concerning any area of the NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH program that may not be clear, such as benefits of membership, training programs, availability of signs and materials, etc. Discuss the results of the neighborhood crime survey. Revealing information about crimes and suspicious incidents or activities in your area can often generate lively discussion and active commitment to the program. Set clear, achievable goals for your program. Your crime prevention officer can offer insight into what your new group can realistically expect to accomplish. Start a list of names, addresses, phone numbers, and vehicle descriptions of those who decide to participate in the program. You may also want to include names and ages of their children, work and school schedules, and whether or not their homes have burglar alarms or timers on lights. While some of this information may seem somewhat personal to neighbors who have just met, it is essential that they make a commitment to the WATCH effort at this state and agree to work together. Choose high visibility NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH signs and decals to identify participating homes and streets (the cost can be divided among households). Your crime prevention officer may assist you in ordering materials, but he may want to postpone this option until a good percentage of the residents have agreed to participate and ample training has been conducted.