If citizens got together to actively prevent crime half as often as criminals meet to create crime, the community would notice real change.

Eyes and Ears Observation

Be aware of your surroundings and the people around you during the day. If you observe something suspiciou, notify law enforcement as soon as you can, and try to describe the activity as accurately as possible. Stay on the telephone so you can provide additional information that may help law enforcement officers responding to the call.

Meetings

Regularly attend meetings and work with other members on the goals and initiatives of the Watch. Not only will you receive crime prevention training at meetings, but you will benefit from meeting neighbors and keeping up with area concerns as the arise.

• Members constantly recruit new members
• Members work together as a team to identify and meet goals
• Members regularly discuss safety, security and community issues
• Members communicate on a regular basis, through newsletters or bulletins
• Members consistently evaluate goals and activities, and prioritize concerns and problems
• Members celebrate success, and recognize the effort of each and every member
• Members spend time together, building a sense of trust and community
• Members look outside their own neighborhood and mobilize with others to find ways to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in their community
  

Turn Neighborhood Watch activities into community-wide efforts to discover concerns and set new goals. The more issues a community has, the greater the potential for Watches partnering with others in identifying goals and actively working towards success. The following list provides just a few of the countless community issues your Watch may explore:

Community Issues and Iniitiatives

• Fire Prevention
• Victim Assistance
• Community Clean-Up Days
• Crimes Against Senior Citizens
• Criminal Justice System Issues
• Crime and Youth
• Park Watches
• School Issues
• Community Policing
• Crime Trends
• Awards and Recognition Programs
• Cimmunity Development Issues
• Welcome Packets for New Residents
• Community Recycling
• Environment Watches
• Mediation and Dispute Resolution
• Self-defense
• Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention
• Youth Watches
• Family Violence Prevention
• Gang Violence