History Of The Neighborhood Watch

Many communities have organizations dedicated to keeping that community safe. These can be organizations like the local police force, or less formal organizations like a neighborhood watch, in which citizens devoted to the prevention crime and vandalism join together to help police the community and make sure it is free of crime.

A neighborhood watch can be formed as its own entity or it may be the secondary function of a neighborhood association or other community association. It should be noted that neighborhood watches are not vigilante groups. They do not fight crime. The goal of a neighborhood watch is to prevent crime from occurring. If you encounter a crime that has been or is being committed, or if you suspect criminal activities may occur, watch members are encouraged to contact authorities and not try to intervene, as it would likely just further endanger themselves and others.

The current system of neighborhood watches in the USA developed in the 1960’s when individuals became weary of not knowing what to do in crisis situations, and of the unwillingness of neighbors to assist each other in crisis situations. This dissatisfaction lead to locals forming groups to watch over their neighborhoods and to look out for any suspicious criminal activity in their areas.

What Types Of Neighborhood Watch Are There In My Neighborhood?

The Block Watch Program is one example of a community policing organization. Block Watch works on the premise that “neighbors working together are the first and best line of defense against crime.” Being a member of a block watch is exactly like being a member of a neighborhood watch. You must be committed to being concerned with your neighbor's property as well as your own and also to promise that when you see suspicious activity, you will take action by calling your neighbor or 911.

According to Block Watch, Individuals can and should take the following actions to help prevent crime;

• Engrave your property with your Washington driver’s license number
• Lock doors and windows whenever you leave home, even if it is for a short time
• Install deadbolt locks on exterior doors and additional locks on vulnerable (ground floor) windows
• Use electric timers on lamps and radios to create the illusion of occupancy
• Light up the front and back entryways at night even if you are not home
• Be sure your house address is visible
• Keep tools locked up
• Do not hide a house key on the front or back porch – give it to a neighbor instead

If you wish to start a Block Watch of your own, please contact the Crime Prevention Coordinator in your precinct for more information.

Further Iterations Of The Neighborhood Watch

Community involvement in the prevention and awareness of crime has spread in ways other than neighborhood watches, though the sense of community involvement in law enforcement did help to open the door to other crime prevention organizations. One such organization is Crime Stoppers.

Crime Stoppers is a program that allows community members to provide anonymous information about criminal activity, by which allowing civilians to provide assistance to law enforcement officials without being involved in the investigation process. Individuals that phone in are sometimes eligible for an award. Crime Stoppers is separate from the emergency telephone number system

In this age of technological advancement, crime prevention has also spread to the internet. This web site, postacrime.com, is meant to be a place for victims of crime to identify suspects of crime and help police. Further crime prevention efforts are sure to go online in the future as well.