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• Upgrading locks, security hardware, and lighting; and installing alarms when <br />security inspections show particular hazard; <br />• Training family members to keep valuables secure and to lock doors and windows <br />when leaving home; it is a good practice to keep doors lock when anyone is at <br />home or not; <br />® Asking neighbors to watch for suspicious activity when the house is vacant; <br />Marking valuable property with an identifying number (Operation I.D.) to <br />discourage theft and help law enforcement agencies identify and return lost or <br />stolen property; <br />® Encouraging home builders to use effective door and window locks and to <br />provide outside lighting for all new home and apartment construction; <br />Organizing block parent and block WATCH groups to assist children, the elderly, <br />and other especially vulnerable persons if they appear to be distressed, in danger, <br />or lost; <br />® Meeting in neighborhood groups with trained crime prevention officers to discuss <br />needs and crime prevention strategies; <br />® Developing neighborhood "fan" or telephone tree systems for quickly alerting <br />each other about criminal activity in the area; <br />® Encouraging the development of signals for use in adjacent residences when <br />someone needs help; <br />® Arranging for ongoing programs where crime prevention experts can present <br />home and neighborhood security tips at regularly scheduled meetings. <br />® Obtaining and studying informative materials from the National Sheriffs' <br />Association, the National Crime Prevention Council and local agencies; <br />® Identifying the area's participation with decals and metal road signs warning, <br />"NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH — our neighbors are watching to report suspicious <br />activity to our law enforcement agency." <br />Starting a NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Group <br />You've heard about the benefits of NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH participation. You <br />suspect — or know — that there is a crime problem in your area. How do you get a <br />program started in your neighborhood? <br />FIRST.... <br />Form a small planning committee of neighbors to discuss needs, the level of interest, and <br />possible problems. Decide on a date and place for an initial NEIGHBORHOOD <br />WATCH meeting. <br />NEXT... <br />Contact your local law enforcement agency. Request that a crime prevention officer <br />come to a meeting of your group in the near future to discuss NEIGHBORHOOD <br />WATCH and help assess your community's problems and needs. Inquire about crime <br />statistics for your area, but bear in mind that crime is typically under -reported. Ask that <br />the officer bring to your meeting a list of local and national contacts that will assist you in <br />