Make Your Neighborhood Safe and Meet the Neighbors

Starting a Neighborhood Watch

One of the best ways to get to know your neighbors when you move into a community is to learn about the different neighborhood organizations that exist. If a Neighborhood watch program isn't in place, it's an easy way to take initiative and get to know your neighbors.

Plus, neighborhood watch programs increase security and build a sense of community in your neighborhood.

Here are some tips to create a neighborhood watch program:

Get your neighbors involved

You may get a lot of resistance when you recruit your neighbors into the program. Use facts to support you. The U.S. Department of Justice says that 78% of crimes are property and auto theft. A lot of these crimes take place in neighborhoods. Law enforcement supports community efforts because they know that neighborhood awareness is one of the best ways to prevent crime.

If you still get resistance, set up a community meeting with law enforcement and go door to door to notify your neighbors about the meeting. Let law enforcement convince your neighbors.

Ease fears

There's no formal training or guns involved with neighborhood watch programs. This isn't a TV show, it's real life. All members need to do is be extra vigilant for suspicious incidents and report them to the police. The law enforcement representative who attends your first meeting will explain all that.

This won't take all your time

Promise your neighbors that the time commitment for a program like this is minimal. They don't have to walk the beat; they just need to keep their eyes and ears open. They just need to meet to discuss issues and problems 2 or 3 times a year.

As the organizer, you should expect to spend 5-10 hours a week for the first 4 or 5 weeks, canvassing for members. Once you have the group in place, you'll spend much less time managing it. All you really need to do is maintain a contact list, pass along messages, and communicate information to everyone.

Once you have the program in place, tell the bad guys that you're there and you're watching. Post signs, decals and other crime related warnings.
You can get these from the National Neighborhood Watch Institute.

What I like most about doing this is that it helps build good relationships among neighbors which leads to a higher quality of life.

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