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If you are the initiator of NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH in your area, be prepared to lend <br />manpower and logistical support to the effort. You may want to check available crime <br />reports and demographic information to determine boundaries for potential WATCH <br />groups. In most cases, large rural areas can be adequately covered with relatively few <br />WATCH members. <br />Your staff should not attempt to force NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH programs upon a <br />neighborhood; rather, with the help of civic, professional, social, and senior citizens' <br />groups, they should identify and motivate residents who can serve as organizers and <br />coordinators in each area. The NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Project Officer must then <br />be prepared to do a selling job — to describe the crime problem in depth and explain why <br />the assistance of these particular leaders is essential to an effective, responsive program. <br />This must be a joint effort, shared by citizens and law enforcement. <br />Responsibilities of Coordinators and Liaison Officers <br />The responsibility for stimulating neighborhood residents to action should rest jointly <br />with the NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Program Coordinator and the officer or deputy <br />assigned. <br />Their duties should include: organizing neighborhood meetings, promoting the program, <br />and arranging for residential inspections and property marking sessions. If practical, <br />neighborhood meetings can take place in private homes, where the props essential to the <br />discussion of burglary and target hardening are available. Also, the host's gesture of <br />hospitality can aid in acquainting neighbors and getting them to agree to keep an eye on <br />one another's property and on the neighborhood in general. <br />If a "block watch" or "block parent" program already exists, it can be integrated with the <br />NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Program; in fact, existing block captains of block parents <br />would make good NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Program coordinators. <br />It is important for you agency to set realistic and achievable goals for programs in your <br />jurisdiction. Identify ways to build and strengthen a strong base of community support <br />for various WATCH groups. In particular, you department should make every possible <br />use of organizations existing in the community to incorporate their efforts toward your <br />common goals. These community groups can serve as a source of funds, manpower, and <br />most importantly, a platform to spread the word. The sheriff or chief of police should <br />extend a written invitation to the groups' leaders to meet to discuss the crime prevention <br />program, its objectives, and manner of implementation. Among the organizations that <br />may be of assistance are: <br />➢ Radio Emergency Associated Communications Team (REACT) <br />➢ U.S. Chamber of Commerce <br />➢ The General Federation of Women's clubs <br />➢ Kiwanis International <br />➢ American Farm Bureau Federation <br />