NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH PROGRAM HISTORY
In 1972 The National Sheriff’s Association organized the National Neighborhood Watch Program. This program was designed to enlist the participation of citizens with law enforcement to help reduce and prevent crime.
Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program that teaches citizens techniques to reduce the risk of being victimized at home and in public. It is a training tool for citizens on how to recognize suspicious activities and how to report them. It also allows neighbors to get to know each other and their routines so that any out of place activity can be reported and investigated.
This program enlists the active participation of residents in cooperation with law enforcement to reduce crime, solve problems, and improve the quality of life in your community.
The main reason Neighborhood Watch can be successful is that citizens can begin working with, instead of relying on, law enforcement to combat crime in their community. The key to keeping a Neighborhood Watch Program active is maintaining interest over time and having a good communication between the members and law enforcement.
Kerman PD can also provide officers to educate citizens on domestic violence, gangs, child and adult abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, identity theft, landlord/tenant relations, etc.
Contact Kerman PD at (559) 846-6633 for information on how to start your community on the Neighborhood Watch Program.
Starting your own Neighborhood Watch Program
How to Start and Maintain a Neighborhood Watch Program
The following steps explain how to get a Neighborhood Watch program started and maintained in your area:
- Talk to your neighbors: Get a few neighbors together that are interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch in your area. All the volunteers do not necessarily have to be on the same street. This could be a group of neighbors on a single street or a few blocks.
- Talk to Kerman PD. Contact the Kerman Police Department and ask to speak with Officer Sandra Mendoza (Neighborhood Watch Coordinator). The officer will suggest how you should proceed; and discuss the crime and disorder problems that you will have to deal with.
- Planning the first meeting. Select a date, time, and place for the first meeting and invite Kerman PD. Meetings can be held at the best location convenient to the neighbors. (If there is no location available, the meeting can be held at Kerman PD.) Send out meeting announcements a few weeks ahead of the date. You can distribute fliers, make phone calls, or send emails. Be sure to invite Kerman PD at least for the first meeting.
First meeting.
Prepare an agenda and sign-in sheet for the first meeting. Ask the Officer to talk about the crime and disorder problems in your area, how to get crime information, and how the partnership with the law enforcement will work. The officer also has additional information on personal and home security, vehicle security, preventing fraud and identity theft, reporting crimes and suspicious activities, reporting disorder and other problems. The agenda should allow time for questions, answers, and other topics.
During your first meeting a block captain or co-captains should be appointed by the neighbors. The block captain will be responsible for continuing the meetings and keeping the officer up to date on the neighborhoods progress. This person will serve as the liaison between the citizens and law enforcement.
Once you neighborhood Watch Program is under way, your block can start special events or fundraisers to cover the cost of street signs and other items that benefit your community. This also serves as a good way to keep the group active and your neighborhood clean and crime free. The following are some possibilities:
Neighborhood walks to identify potential crime and disorder problems
Socials, e.g., parties or potluck dinners
Cleaning streets, vacant lots, canyons, parks, etc.
Graffiti paint outs
Fund raising to buy signs, e.g., by collecting recyclables
Painting address numbers on curbs and alley fences or garages
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
