Keep an eye out for Neighborhood Watch
Information provided by Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Neighborhood Watch is one of the oldest and best known crime prevention concepts in North America. In the late 1960s, an increase in crime heightened the need for a crime prevention initiative focused on residential areas and involving local citizens. The National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) responded, creating the National Neighborhood Watch Program in 1972 to assist citizens and law enforcement.
In the aftermath of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, strengthening and securing communities has become more critical than ever. Neighborhood Watch programs have responded to the challenge, expanding beyond their traditional crime prevention role to help neighborhoods focus on disaster preparedness, emergency response and terrorism awareness.
Neighborhood Watch is a community- based crime prevention program, which is part of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Community Resources Unit. Neighborhood Watch Block Captains are people who take an active role in making their neighborhoods safer. Area Coordinators provide a range of services to assist Neighborhood Associations, community groups, and individual citizens in dealing with crime problems at both the block level and in the broader neighborhood area. Neighborhood Watch works to educate the citizens and have them take more responsibility in the safety of their neighborhoods.
Neighborhood Watch is a program designed to increase security on neighborhood blocks by involving as many individuals and families as possible in a united crime prevention effort. Participants in Neighborhood Watch learn:
To be familiar with neighbors and activities on the block,
To recognize and report suspicious activity,
To increase home security,
To learn how to engrave property correctly,
To communicate with neighbors on a regular basis using block maps, phone trees, etc.
Neighborhood peace of mind goes beyond locks, alarms and Neighborhood Watch meetings. It encompasses all those things that affect the environment of a given area, including streets, lights, neighborhood needs, nuisances, and disputes between residents.
To start a neighborhood watch program in your neighborhood, call the Community Resource Unit at 303-660-7544.
