Informal Neighborhood Watch- Keep Your Neighborhood Safer With These Simple Tips
Informal Neighborhood Watch- Keep Your Neighborhood Safer With These Simple Tips
For many of us, a neighborhood watch program sounds like a popular and effective idea…that we don’t want to get involved in. If organizing an in-depth program within your community is too time consuming and intimidating, consider being part of something slightly less formal, yet can still be effective in decreasing crime.
In a nutshell, all this type of program needs is for someone to disseminate a flier with some neighborhood safety tips, and a monthly meeting or some type of get together where community members can meet each other and share information. This can be a meeting at someone’s residence or local business, or even a simple block-party style where people can come and go as they please. Even simple gatherings such as this result in the sharing of information, and when neighbors get to know each other, the entire community benefits.
Read below for some neighborhood watch suggestions and work with your community to put these plans into action. Emphasize that Watch groups should not assume the role of the police. The idea is to request that neighbors be alert, observant, and caring—and to report suspicious activity or crimes immediately to the police.
*Ask people who seldom leave their homes to be “window watchers,” looking out for children and reporting any unusual activities in the neighborhood.
*Physical conditions like abandoned cars or overgrown vacant lots contribute to crime. Sponsor cleanups, and encourage residents to beautify the area.
*Gather the facts about crime in your neighborhood. Review police reports and check with your local sheriff’s Crime Analyst for crime trends.
*Plan informal meetings or small block parties, some venue where neighbors can meet each other and share recent neighborhood watch information.
*Offer incentives to those who can give information about a crime that has been committed- incentives can be monetary or in the form of gift certificates donated by local businesses.
*If you are in a position to hire a youth or find a job for them, do it- minors that have a job are less likely to get involved in criminal behavior.
For more information, visit the National Crime Prevention Council at www.ncpc.org
Prepared by : LET Heather Fuquay
Media Release Date: October 23, 2014
* Lost Hills Sheriff's Station polices the Cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Malibu and Westlake Village, and the unincorporated communities of Chatsworth Lake Manor, Malibu Lake, Topanga, and West Hills:
For further information contact:
Malibu / Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
27050 Agoura Road
Agoura, CA 91301
(818) 878-1808
Website: www.LostHills.lasd.org
LASD HQ Text and Emails: http://www.Nixle.com
http://nixle.com/lasd---malibulost-hills-station-los-angeles-county-sheriff/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LostHillsSheriffsStation
Twitter https://twitter.com/LHSLASD
