Neighborhood Watch
Part 2
National Crime Prevention Council
2007–2008
Goal of This Presentation
To provide participants with strategies for
strengthening their Neighborhood Watch
programs and explore ways that their programs
can be connected with homeland security and
emergency preparedness
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National Crime Prevention Council
Objectives
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
Learn how to maintain and strengthen a
Neighborhood Watch

Learn how to expand the scope of
Neighborhood Watch

Explore how Neighborhood Watch can be
linked to homeland security and emergency
preparedness
National Crime Prevention Council
Neighborhood Watch Works

Birmingham, AL: Before Neighborhood
Watch, 13 out of 15 neighborhoods had
experienced increases in burglaries. After the
program was in place, 12 of the 15 had no
burglaries.
 Lakewood, CO: Burglaries dropped 77 percent
after Neighborhood Watch was implemented.
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National Crime Prevention Council
Neighborhood Watch Works
(continued)
■ Cypress, CA: Neighborhood Watch cut
burglaries by 52 percent and thefts by 45
percent. The program saved police an
estimated $79,000.
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National Crime Prevention Council
Neighborhood Watch
Background

Neighborhood Watch is a community-based
program supported by the National
Sheriffs’ Association.
 Since its inception in 1972, thousands of
communities have created Neighborhood
Watch programs.
 These programs have expanded and
become major assets in solving
neighborhood problems.
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National Crime Prevention Council
Example of an Expanded
Neighborhood Watch Program
The Niagara Falls Block Club Council has
expanded the traditional Neighborhood Watch
activities to include increasing community
awareness as well as engagement.
Home Block Club Association
Roger Spurback, President
2234 Forest Avenue
Niagara Falls, NY 14301
716-285-5426
rspurblockclub@aol.com
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National Crime Prevention Council
Maintaining and Strengthening
Your Neighborhood Watch
Program
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National Crime Prevention Council
Seek Help From
Other Organizations

Talk to other Neighborhood Watch groups in
the area.
 Talk with local PTAs, tenants’ groups,
community service organizations, social clubs,
faith groups, public and mental health
associations, taxpayers’ groups, and
homeowners’ associations for help and ideas in
sustaining and preserving activities.
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National Crime Prevention Council
Community Assessments
Ask your local police department or sheriff’s
office for a map of your area. You can use
this to define the boundaries of your
Neighborhood Watch program and to map
crime.
 Ask your local police department for
statistics on crime in your community and
whether it has done any crime mapping or
crime analysis of your neighborhood. If so,
ask to see the results.

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National Crime Prevention Council
Consider a
Neighborhood Assessment

A neighborhood assessment can
provide a “road map” that can
be used to address problems and
community needs.
 A neighborhood assessment can
also highlight other
organizations—local
government, local civic groups,
etc.—that might need to be
involved.
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National Crime Prevention Council
Community Assessments

Collect crime data from police and residents.
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What types of crimes have been reported?
What details are available about these crimes?
Do patterns of crime show up?
Are there specific “hot spots” where multiple
incidents have occurred?
National Crime Prevention Council
Community Assessments (continued)

What have residents noticed in general about
the community?
 What types of activities have residents
noticed? Which activities are positive, which
are negative?
 What can be said about activities of concern?
Where, when (what time of day or week)?
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National Crime Prevention Council
Community Assessments (continued)

Conduct a survey of residents.
• Ask about their observations of the
neighborhood.
• Ask about their concerns and things they want
to see happen.
 Have responses sent anonymously to one person
who will compile the responses.
 Report on the responses at the next meeting.
Identify those actions for which solutions are
apparent and those that need investigating. Be sure
someone takes notes.
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National Crime Prevention Council
Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design

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Crime Prevention Through Environmental
Design (CPTED) is a way of looking at
changing the environment to increase
prevention factors and decrease crime
problems.
National Crime Prevention Council
CPTED Principles
 CPTED
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seeks to strengthen
Natural surveillance
Access management
Territoriality
Physical maintenance
Order maintenance
Activity support
National Crime Prevention Council
Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design (continued)

Local law enforcement agencies frequently have
officers on staff who have been trained in
CPTED principles. Seek the help of such an
officer to coordinate a neighborhood review.
 CPTED seeks to identify problems and strengths
by asking questions such as
• Does this make me feel safe/unsafe? Does it look like someone
cares about this space?
• What make me feel safer in this space? What would tell me that
someone is taking care of it?
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National Crime Prevention Council
Safe or Unsafe:
Residential Street
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National Crime Prevention Council
Safe or Unsafe:
Open Space
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National Crime Prevention Council
Strategies To Keep Your
Neighborhood Watch
Strong
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National Crime Prevention Council
A Lasting Neighborhood Watch
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
Often communities start Neighborhood Watches
because of a dramatic crime or increase in crime.
When the problem subsides or is forgotten, the
program loses momentum.

Adopt a long-term attitude from the start—your
aims are to empower people to prevent crime, to
forge bonds among residents and law enforcement,
and to build a base for broader community
improvement.
National Crime Prevention Council
Example of Neighborhood
Watch That Works Closely
With the Sheriff’s Department
Hinds County, MS, has 240
Neighborhood Watches in six towns
within its 875 square miles and each
must meet specific requirements set
forth by the Sheriff’s Department.
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National Crime Prevention Council
A Lasting Neighborhood Watch
(continued)

Spell out the roles of the group. Consider
forming a formal association with bylaws
and officers.
 Decentralize planning and work. Establish
committees and delegate tasks.
 Keep all members informed via a mix of
personal contact and newsletters.
 Plan for and train new leaders.
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National Crime Prevention Council
A Lasting Neighborhood Watch
(continued)

Strike a balance between work and fun.
Address problems but also have fun as
neighbors.
 Involve the entire community.
 Organize meetings that focus on current
issues pertaining to children, youth,
adults, seniors, and public and private
property.
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National Crime Prevention Council
A Lasting Neighborhood Watch
(continued)
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
Consider organizing citizen patrols to walk or
drive around and alert police to crime and
suspicious activity. Talk to local law
enforcement about how patrols could work in
your area.

If you do implement patrols, share patrol
duties and consult regularly with law
enforcement, who should help train patrols.
National Crime Prevention Council
Examples of Citizen Patrol Groups

The San Antonio, TX, Cellular on Patrol
Program engages more than 600 trained
volunteers who report possible crimes to
police.
 Baltimore County, MD, has more than 115
Citizens on Patrol groups—trained individuals
who patrol by car in their neighborhoods and
report concerns or crimes to the police.
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National Crime Prevention Council
Examples of Citizen Patrol Groups
(continued)
The McGruff® Truck Program, in which
drivers call for help on behalf of children in
distress, is another adaptation of mobilizing
the “watch out for each other” concept. Lost
children have been returned to their parents;
others have been saved from closed and
overheated cars or even rescued from abusive
situations, thanks to these trained and vetted
drivers of more than 16,000 corporate and
municipal trucks in 24 states.
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National Crime Prevention Council
A Lasting Neighborhood Watch
(continued)
Don’t forget to hold social events that give
neighbors a chance to know each other—a
block party, potluck dinner, volleyball or
softball game, or a picnic.
 Thank people publicly for their hard work.
 Share data (formal or informal) that show
Neighborhood Watch has helped reduce crime
and improve safety.

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National Crime Prevention Council
What Else Can
Neighborhood Watch Do?

Adopt a neighborhood park or playground and
hold a cleanup. Paint over graffiti in the
neighborhood.
 Work with local building code officials to
bring subpar buildings up to code.
 Help neighbors install deadbolt locks, window
locks, smoke alarms, and other safety devices
in new and existing homes and in commercial
buildings.
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National Crime Prevention Council
What Else Can Neighborhood
Watch Do? (continued)
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
Work with parents’ groups to start a McGruff®
House or similar block parent program to
provide safe places for children to go during
emergencies.

Publish a newsletter with prevention tips, local
crime news, recognition of residents’
achievements, and news of neighborhood and
community events.
National Crime Prevention Council
Expanding the Scope

Neighborhood Watch can serve communities in
many ways beyond preventing crime.
 It can provide focus for community
preparedness, including Community Emergency
Response Team training.
 Strong, organized, cohesive neighborhoods are
better equipped to recognize terrorism and
handle all sorts of emergency situations.
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National Crime Prevention Council
Homeland Security
Is
Crime Prevention
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National Crime Prevention Council
Overview of Homeland
Security

Prevent terrorist attacks within the United
States
 Reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism
 Minimize the damage and recover from
attacks that do occur
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National Crime Prevention Council
Homeland Security and
Neighborhood Watch

Crime prevention is terrorism prevention.
 Both help to achieve safety and security.
 Both require action by individuals and
neighborhoods.
 Both help us cope with fear.
 Both need planning and organization to be
effective.
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National Crime Prevention Council
Homeland Security and
Neighborhood Watch (continued)
Neighborhood Watch groups are excellent
platforms for community preparedness.
 They are already experienced in teaching
residents about prevention.
 They often offer networks of neighborhoods.
 They are accustomed to training residents in
various skills.
 They are accustomed to communicating
regularly among themselves and with others.
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National Crime Prevention Council
Homeland Security and
Neighborhood Watch (continued)

Neighborhood Watches can develop
neighborhood-level plans for residents to help
each other in emergencies; they can keep
plans current.
 The groups provide excellent focal points for
developing inventories of neighborhood skills
and equipment that might be needed in
emergencies.
 They can tap training for security needs.
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National Crime Prevention Council
An Example
The Pasadena, CA, Police Department matched
the old concept of Neighborhood Watch with
the new idea of security for the recreational
vehicles (RVs) at the Tournament of Roses
parade. Parade Watch, as it came to be known,
provided experienced neighbors to monitor
RVs along the parade route and notify police
of any suspicious vehicles.
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National Crime Prevention Council
An Example
In Stafford County, VA, the sheriff’s office
identified sites that might be attractive to
terrorists, such as reservoirs, train tracks, and
bridges. Neighborhood Watches near the sites
were invited to get special training in what to
report and how to report it with respect to
possible threats to these targets. All residents
were offered education on preparedness and
mitigation strategies.
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National Crime Prevention Council
The Crime Prevention
Framework

Crime prevention plays a strategic role in
community preparedness.
 Practitioners can help communities apply
crime prevention skills to the work of
community preparedness.
 A safe nation begins with safe, engaged
communities.
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National Crime Prevention Council
Community Preparedness
Much like crime prevention, everyone can have a
role in preparing for the unexpected emergency.
Individuals or families can prepare by
 Identifying meeting locations in case of an
emergency
 Developing a family emergency contact list
 Assembling a disaster supplies kit
 Taking a course in first aid or CPR
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National Crime Prevention Council
Disaster/Emergency
Preparedness

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A Community Emergency
Response Team (CERT) is a
neighborhood team (trained
by emergency service
professionals) who respond
to a major disaster when
professionals are
overwhelmed or delayed and
can’t meet immediate needs.
National Crime Prevention Council
Disaster/Emergency
Preparedness (continued)

CERT offers 20 hours of instruction and
hands-on training in disaster preparedness, first
aid, fire suppression, light search and rescue,
disaster psychology, team organization, and
terrorism awareness.
 For more information, visit
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWEB/CERT.
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National Crime Prevention Council
Everyone Can Play a Role

Here are some things participants can do.
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Be proactive.
Get involved.
Motivate others to get involved.
Involve all members of the community.
Translate national needs into community concerns.
Train and practice.
Accept the challenge.
Begin today.
National Crime Prevention Council
Questions and Answers
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National Crime Prevention Council
Resources
www.ncpc.org
and
www.mcgruffstore.org
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National Crime Prevention Council
Resources From NCPC
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
United for a Stronger America:
Citizens’ Preparedness Guide,
National Crime Prevention
Council, 2002

Crime Prevention Can Spur
and Support Homeland
Security in Neighborhoods and
Communities, National Crime
Prevention Council, 2003
National Crime Prevention Council
Resources From NCPC
Citizens’ Involvement in Homeland
Security, National Crime Prevention
Council, 2003
 Checklists, emergency family
planning guides, and information on
how to recognize terrorists’
activities can be downloaded from
www.ncpc.org.

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National Crime Prevention Council
Resources
National Sheriffs’ Association
1450 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-836-7827
www.sheriffs.org
www.USAonwatch.org
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National Crime Prevention Council
Resources (continued)
National Association of Town Watch
P.O. Box 303
1 Wynnewood Road
Wynnewood, PA 19096
610-649-7055
www.nationaltownwatch.org
National Night Out—first Tuesday in August
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National Crime Prevention Council
Resources (continued)
 Neighborhood Watch
Program by
the National Sheriff’s Association
www.usaonwatch.org
 Citizens
Corps
www.citizenscorps.gov
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National Crime Prevention Council
Resources (continued)
 National
Criminal Justice Reference
Service
www.ncjrs.gov
 Volunteers
in Police Service (VIPS)
www.policevolunteers.org
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National Crime Prevention Council
The National Crime Prevention Council
2345 Crystal Drive
Suite 500
Arlington, VA 22202
202-466-6272
FAX 202-296-1356
www.ncpc.org
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National Crime Prevention Council
Presenter Contact Information
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National Crime Prevention Council