How To Set Up A Neighborhood Watch And Getting To Know Your Neighbors

Crime rates have soared and most people don't think that it will happen to them. You see on the news and in the papers about people being robbed or killed. Have you noticed that most of the thives and murderes live in the same neighborhoods as the people who get robbed and murdered? More and more you see children and teens who are doing these things. The Police cannot be everywhere at the same time.  It is our responsibility to help them out as well as help our neighbors and ourselves too.

The very best way to curb this behavior is to get to know your neighbors and their children and teens. Don't be surprised if you attain the name of "Busy Body" or Nosey Neighbor. Just take it as a compliment.  It is those kinds of people who probably are doing something they shouldn't.  They would be the ones who would be thankful that you were watching their property if they were the ones who got robbed while at work or on vacation.  Did you know that a major detterent is knowing them and knowing you?  There is significantly less of a chance of your neighbors robbing you if they know you in person. Thieves often will rob a house in which they do not know the peole who live there. Get to know your neighbors and especially their children and animals.

Later in this article I will give some hints and tips to getting to know you neighbors.

See if there is an interest in setting one of these up in your neighborhood. Having a Neighborhood Watch requires cooperation from all members of the community. People need to be confident and know how to work as a team. If you don't have that then your Neighborhood Watch will not suceed. Talk to the people in your neighborhood. The most efficient way is to talk to them in person. The more you talk to the better it will be.

If there is interest in this Volunteer service then the next step would be to go to your Home Owners Association and bring it up to them. Let them know your reasons and how you plan on doing this. Bring those who are in agreement with you to the meeting too. It will look better if they know who they are working with if they agree to this.

After you have gotten the OK talk to your local police department and let them know that you are planning on implementing a Neighborhood Watch Program. They may lend much assistance in this endeavor. They may also provide some sort of training to the Team Leaders or Block persons and provide training for new volunteers as well. Get to know all the Officers and the other Staff members. You never know who you will be working with in case there is an emergency.

The next step is to to divide the neighborhood into managable sections and have a Block or Team Leader. This person will be in charge of getting information to and from the main person in charge of the Neighborhood Watch Program and that information to the President of the Home Owners Association. This Block/Team Leader is responsible for getting volunteers in his part of the neighborhood involved with new neighbors and maintaining the security in his part of the neighborhood.

Hold sub-meettings once a month to train and maintain the Neighborhood Watch Talk to the Police on a regular basis and keep them up to date as to what is going on and the status of the neighborhood.

A Phone Tree is mostly all those involved with the Neighborhood Watch Program.  You will want to have Your Police Department contact number on there and the Fire and Emergency numbers as well as the Hospital Emergency numbers.

Include on the Phone List SAFE HOUSES names and numbers and addresses.  A SAFE HOUSE is someone's house that children and Adults can go to in case of an emergency.  If for some reason children are home early and parent's cannot be notified or some other emergency then they can go to that house.  We had a fire in our neighborhood while the family were at work and the children were at school and they didn't know of it.  It is this purpose also that the children had some place to go to until the parent's were notified and some arrangements were made.

 There is lots of information to be gathered to make you neighborhood safe and secure.  Make a database of this, put it on your computer and on everyone who is involved in the Neighborhood Watch Program. 

The list should include these things and pictures:

House or Lot Number and Address (if it is being Rented out you will want the renters information.  Get them involved!  Most renter's (or at least in my neighborhood) don't think that they need to go by the rules of the neighborhood because they are renting the house.  This is so NOT True.  They live there they need to accept responsibility and follow the rules for the neighborhood.

Name of Head of Household

Family Members -names, ages and birthdates.  Pictures would be a great asset for this.

Care make model and tag numbers.  Again pictures would work best with this.

Any pets the family have, names and pictures.  You would be surprised how many pets get stolen in their own yards by strangers.

Any other pertinent information such as people who come in the neighborhood daily or on a regular basis.

These things are not to be used for personal reasons.  They are to be used if there is a strange car in someones driveway the Team Leader or Block person can call the police to come out and check it out.

 Keep tabs on sexual perpetrator's in your neighborhood.  Beware of Gossip and those who spread lies about those who they do not like for one reason or another.  This is not a good practice to get into.  It hurts peoples and ruins lives.  You want up to date and legitimate information.

Places you will want to check often are:

National Sex Offenders Registery  This is just in the United States.  All you do it type in the street address, state and zipcode and it will ring up any offenders in your area.

 Here is an on-line order form for American Security Educators, Inc

You can also get signs made up at a local Sign Business.

Your local Police Department may have these too.  Check with them about where and what you can hang or attach your signs too.  They may have strict laws regarding this.

The best way is to go door to door and introduce yourselves. You can make this into a party by inviting each person you introduce yourself to to go to the next house. At the end play a game of memory.  Who lives in what house and some of their specifics.  Have FUN!  That is the best part.

Another way is to have a neighborhood part or social. There are many things to could do for this.

1. Kids Contests. A few come to mind--Flying a Kite. Have a day where everyone can meet with others and have a day of fun. This can be done in the Spring and in the Fall. Here is an article that tells you how to make them and what kinds of things you can do with them: Go Fly A Kite

2. Game Night. Invite your neighbors to a place that has a large area and have board games. Adults too can do this and they can teach youngun's to play games and learn Chess and other strategic Games. Have a good time! Have the parent's or teens pitch in for the refreshments.

3. Have a Progressive Dinner--this is a limited activities as most people can't feed many others than themselves, BUT---no worries here. Use this as a way to get to know your other Neighborhood Watch members. How this works is each person has a part of the dinner from the Appetisers up to the dessert. You can also bring this to a church or other place, but it isn't as fun as actually meeting the people in their own homes.

4. Ice Cream Socials! I still remember having them at my church when I was a teen. They were fun and everyone got to know everyone else. Again, get the teens to hep out. Keeping them busy and working in the neighborhood keeps them from doing other things out of boredom and out of trouble.