Neighborhood Watch                                                                        

In an era where many people spend their waking hours working and commuting, it is increasingly difficult to get to know your neighbors. Building a sense of commumity however, is well worth the effort; crime is lower in areas where residents know each other as neighbors. Safe, healthy neighborhoods provide many settings and ways for people to interact in positive ways with one another. One of the easiest and most effective ways to do this is through a Neighborhood Watch group.

The Neighborhood Watch Program is organized to enable the police and the community to work together to make neighborhoods more crime resistant. It is primarily a community policing effort, designed to help prevent crime. Neighborhood Watch encourages strong working relationships between the citizens, their neighbors and police.

One of the most effective ways to promote citizen interaction with police is the sharing of information. Citizen groups determine specific needs or problems and then share this information with local police. The police then act on this information and report back to the group on their progress. Police officers can also contact public groups and organizations and make them aware of specific criminal activities or the needs of the police department.

Why Organize a Neighborhood Watch?

Crime and fear of crime threaten a community's well-being. People become afraid to leave their homes, to use streets and parks, or to walk through their neighborhood. Suspicion erupts between young and old, businesses gradually leave. Crime feeds on the social isolation it creates. Today's lifestyles, including both parents working, more single parent families, and greater job mobility can contribute to this isolation and weaken communities.

Neighbors can prevent or criminal activity and build their community into a safer, friendlier, and more caring place to live. Getting together to fight crime, violence, and drugs can help create communities where people once isolated by crime and fear can enjoy being part of a thriving neighborhood.

How Do I Start a Neighborhood Watch Program In My Area?

Contact the Crime Prevention Officer, Kevin Kempker, of the Jefferson City Police Department’s Community Services Unit at (573) 634-6440. 

The Crime Prevention Officer will schedule a meeting with you and your neighbors to tell you all about the local program.  Other area watch group members may attend this first meeting to tell you how it is working in their neighborhood.

• Talk to your neighbors.  Canvass your neighborhood for interest.  You will probably find that they share the same concerns and interest.

• Arrange a date and a place for the meeting.  Select a time that is convenient for most of your neighbors.  Plan the meeting date far enough in advance to give everyone adequate notice (about 2-3 weeks).  Prepare a flyer with the date, time, and location of the meeting and distribute it to everyone in your area.  You should remind them of the meeting a few days before.

• At the first meeting, prepare some opening remarks about who you are and thank everyone for attending. Nametags can be very helpful if everyone doesn't know each other. Have everyone introduce themselves. Briefly explain the purpose of the meeting and what you hope to accomplish. The Crime Prevention Specialist will give you an introduction to the Neighborhood Watch program. He will also tell you about effective crime prevention techniques for home and neighborhood safety.

• Select a Block Captain. The Block Captain will be the spokesperson for the group. They will organize and arrange Neighborhood Watch meetings. Neighbors should share the responsibility of hosting the meetings. They will maintain a master list of all members and designate work assignments such as new recruitments, vacation home watch, neighborhood patrol, and material distributions. The Block Captain position should be rotated on a regularly scheduled basis to share the work load and responsibilities and to have more people participate.

• Develop and distribute maps. To help members give adequate information when reporting suspicious activity in the neighborhood, a map of the area should be developed.

• Clearly identify streets and cross-streets. Indicate the name, address, and phone number of each home (stress that all phone numbers will be kept confidential).

• Gather and share information. Knowing your neighbors' basic habits and belongings will help you to recognize unusual or suspicious activities. Basic information you might exchange includes home and work phone numbers; number, ages, and identity of family members; work hours; school hours of children; number and types of automobiles; who has a dog(s); and planned vacations. The Crime Prevention Specialist will give you Neighborhood Watch stickers to distribute and will arrange for the City to install Neighborhood Watch signs on your street.

Remember, your job is to report crime. The responsibility of apprehending criminals belongs to the police. Attend your own Neighborhood Watch meetings. Your Block Captain will inform you of important upcoming events and programs offered by the Jefferson City Police Department.

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