Police Department
Neighborhood Watch Program
What is Neighborhood Watch?
Police Departments across the country are learning that community participation in anti-crime programs is essential.
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. This program also works when the police go to public
groups and organizations and make them aware of specific criminal activities or the needs of the
police department.
The Neighborhood Watch concept is designed to target specific geographical areas and to assist citizens in these
areas to:
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Establish an organizational structure and create an information-sharing network. |
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Help to introduce neighbors and create social ties that will help them work together. |
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Allow police to train citizens on how to be proactive by preventing crime and how to recognize and report
criminal activities.
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Access information and assistance from police and other Government agencies that can help to improve
living conditions.
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Provide the community with a strong unified voice to inform community leaders on programs and actions
that the "people" support.
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Neighborhood Watch cannot only be utilized as a strong tool to fight crime; it is also a strong social
organization. It can also be utilized to enact other projects such as Community Clean Up.
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Bus Stop Safety Watch for children and locating and assisting citizens with special needs. |
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Neighborhood Watch is not a vigilante organization! It promotes awareness techniques and reporting crime
not physical confrontation of criminals. |
So What's the First Step?
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