Here's some information about successful programs in the county!
When did you start your neighborhood watch program?
July 2018
What prompted you to start a program?
For over a year we had issues with issues with transient people sleeping in yards, breaking into sheds, stealing items from vehicles and sheds, etc.
How many block captains do you have?
We have five active block captains in the community.
Your communication strategy to reach all your homeowners?
We have a residents list of each neighbor that wanted to be part of the watch. The neighborhood leader has the main list of everyone, names, phone numbers and emails if they have one. The main method of communication is via email, Any alerts come to the leader of the community then I will gets posted on our Community email list to everyone. We also have cameras on some homes but not all. These do come in handy when needing to find out more information.
We have posted neighborhood watch signs around the neighborhood as well. The leader does walk around the neighborhood or drives up and down the community blocks, especially if there is a lot of suspicious activity going on in the neighborhood. We also keep everyone updated on other things as well like wildlife , bears, coyotes, so on. We have kept communication on the COVID-19 pandemic and how to keep safe to all the members. We also send the alerts we receive from LCSO to our neighbors as well as the Scam newsletter that we receive from LCSO regarding active scams.
Proactive measures?
All our residents are much more alert about suspicious activities and reporting them to LCSO. We also requested speed monitoring for speeders on two of our streets. Our communication to neighbors helps keep them alert when anything suspicious is happening. We have placed many large NW signs around our streets which has also helped to convey that we are not open to crime in our community.
Activities and events for the community to sustain the program?
We had get togethers with the block captains as we geared up but now we stay in contact with everyone by email. The leader sends out a newsletter quarterly usually but if something comes up an email will be sent out. We have block get togethers where we have a bbq or ice cream social. We also participate in the National Night Out in August.
Has the NW helped your community issues?
Absolutely. Our issue with transients has been resolved and we have very few incidents in our community now.
