Neighborhood Watch Program Information

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Across the nation crime is of concern to citizens in cities, suburbs, towns, and rural areas. Increasingly, citizens and law enforcement professionals realize that neither one can eradicate crime working separately. Neighbors and other concerned citizens, working cooperatively with law enforcement, can have a positive effect. Home burglaries, in particular, can be minimized when community residents take steps to malce their homes less attractive and vulnerable to burglars. Burglary, the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft, is generally considered a crime against property. It has, however, a high potential for death or injury to the victim who comes into surprise contact with the intruder. Through the well recognized concept of NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH, a community-based program supported by the National Sheriffs' Association since 1972, residents of thousands of communities across the nation have discovered that they can make a difference in preventing crime. f he Role of the Community in Neighborhood Watch Ask anyone whose home has been burglarized... the shock and helpless anger accompanying the discovery that an intruder has entered one's home will not easily be forgotten. The damage may be minimal or major, the losses slight or catastrophic. The incident may or may not have involved injury to a family member — yet one hard fact remains: another statistic has been added to the ever-growing list of burglarized homes. The burglar won again — and has no doubt vanished, leaving no real clue to lead to his arrest. Is Your Neighborhood Ready to Resist Crime? Or Is It a 'target for Burglars? It's Up toYou!! Chances are good that a home burglarized today is located in a neighborhood where one vital prevention tool is missing: an active NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH group. This community-based organization of citizens working together with law enforcement has become the key to preventing burglary and crime nationwide. The National Sheriffs' Association created the National NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Program in 1972, with financial assistance from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, to unite law enforcement agencies, private organizations, and individual citizens in a massive effort to reduce residential crime. A work plan emerged for use by sheriffs, police, and citizens for putting together local neighborhood -based programs.