Neighborhood Watch Program Information

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It is a fact of life that relationships in many of today's communities have become less personal than they were years ago. Families are more transient, children have more activities that take them and their parents away from home, and there are more families with both parents working. The once -familiar sight of families visiting with each other on front porches while keeping a watchful eye on children and activities in the neighborhood is a rarity in most communities today. This trend away from personal contact in the neighborhood and the decrease in time families spend at home are two of the essential ingredients that make communities ripe for crimes of opportunity, such as burglary. Burglary — A Target for NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Burglary, the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft, is the crime that is targeted particularly by the National NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Program. While it is one of the most prevalent and difficult crimes facing law enforcement today, it is, at the same time, the one major crime that CAN be effectively resisted by each citizen taking POSITIVE ACTION at home. Burglary accounts for nearly one-third of the index crimes in the United States. Although it is generally considered a crime against property, it has a high potential for death or injury to the victim who comes into surprise contact with the burglar. Contrary to popular opinion, burglary is not a crime restricted to urban areas; it also occurs in suburban and rural areas at an alarming rate. There are exceptions to the rising tide of crime, however, and studies reveal that these are often thriving NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH communities, where dedicated, enthusiastic residents have been trained to notice suspicious activities and report them, not only to law enforcement officials, but also to each other. NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH is, after all, hardly a new idea; in fact, it is based on one of the oldest and simplest concepts known to man — neighbor helping neighbor. And when neighbors get together and cooperate with law enforcement, crime CAN be reduced. Numerous convicted burglars have admitted that they are simply not prepared to take the added risk of working in NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH- protected communities. Making It Tough for the Burglar Through NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Programs, determined citizens are decreasing their chances of becoming victims. Alert program participants in communities across the country are making things hard for potential criminals by: ■ Arranging for home security inspections by crime prevention officers to identify security vulnerabilities;