Neighborhood Watch

The Neighborhood Watch program was instituted nationally in 1972. Since 1972, the National Neighborhood Watch Program (within the National Sheriffs’ Association) has united law enforcement agencies, private organizations, and individual citizens in a nationwide effort to reduce crime and improve local communities. The program’s success has established Neighborhood Watch as the nation’s premier crime-prevention and community-mobilization program. Visible signs of the program appear across America on street signs, window decals, community block parties, and service projects.

For residents interested in forming a Neighborhood Watch group, we first recommend reading the Neighborhood Watch Manual for a deeper understanding. Once a group has been formed, the lead contact or group captain can contact the Police Department for additional guidance. The lead contact or group captain can contact the Department’s Neighborhood Watch Liaison or representative Service Area Lieutenant to coordinate participation at the first Neighborhood Watch meeting.

The group captain is asked to provide at least three available days to host the first meeting. Before the meeting date, the group captain should work with their group to select members responsible for note-taking, coordinate meeting locations with ample seating, develop and distribute meeting flyers, and, if appropriate, create and maintain a social media presence for their group. The group can also decide what type of refreshments, if any, will be served and who will be responsible for providing them. 

It is the Police Department’s position to empower each group, not to take control of any group. Our role at your meeting is to answer questions and provide information, such as how to access crime statistics for your group via our Community Crime Map. 

The frequency of Neighborhood Watch meetings is at the group’s discretion. It is recommended and encouraged that each group host at least two meetings per year. The more frequently meetings are held, the stronger the group bond becomes. This is the foundation for developing and sharing ideas to better monitor your community, including planning for crime-prevention events such as National Night Out.