ABILENE POLICE DEPARTMENT

Abilene's Neighborhood Watch began in the late 1970's to discourage and prevent crime in neighborhoods using citizen involvement. The program helps people learn how to secure their own homes and property, and it encourages them to report suspicious activity to the police. In Abilene and across the nation, Neighborhood Watch has helped bring about dramatic decreases in residential crime in those neighborhoods that participate

Take the first step towards bringing the benefits of Neighborhood Watch to your neighborhood. Read on to find out how easy it is to organize and maintain a successful program.

• Burglary, auto theft, assaults, arson and vandalism are the most common neighborhood crimes.

• Residential burglary is one of the easiest crimes to commit, and one of the hardest to solve.

• Most home burglars are amateurs looking for easy targets.

• Local statistics show that nearly half of the reported residential burglaries were non-forced entries.

• Most residential burglaries occur during daylight hours.

• Residential burglary has a high potential for injury or death in cases where a burglar is surprised by a property owner.

Neighborhood Watch is a "self-help" community crime prevention program with the goal of reducing crime in participating neighborhoods. Neighborhood Watch groups successfully do this by eliminating the opportunities for crime.

Most of today's criminals are not professionals but "amateurs" looking for an easy hit. They look for neighborhoods that offer easy opportunities for crime. When you eliminate those opportunities from your home and the neighborhood, there's a good chance the criminals will commit their crimes elsewhere.

Starting a Neighborhood Watch group in your neighborhood is simple. First, talk with your neighbors and see if they are interested in being a part of the program. Next, call the Abilene Police Department's Crime Prevention Unit at 676-6520. A Crime Prevention representative will work with you on scheduling a date and time for your first meeting.

At the first meeting, you and your neighbors will learn about the history and purpose of the

Program, as well as the responsibilities of each member. Those attending will choose a leader, (called a Block Captain) who will be in charge of the group.

Since awareness and involvement are the key to a successful program, keeping interest high and continuing the group's crime prevention education must be a primary focus of all participants.

There are three levels of participation in Neighborhood Watch:

1. Individual Members
2. Block Captains
3. Local Law Enforcement

Each of these groups has an important role in keeping the program successful, and each has specific duties.

  Attend your group's meetings.

  Be a good neighbor. Get to know everyone in the watch group. Offer to keep an eye on their property when they are away, and ask the same of them when you're away.

  Secure your home and property. Call the crime prevention unit and schedule a "free" home security check.

  Be willing to submit an information sheet to your Block Captain, which contains such

information as, vehicle descriptions, names of family members, emergency phone numbers.

  Meet and invite new neighbors into the watch group.

  If you are victimized or witness criminal activity, be willing to testify in court.

  Report any and all suspicious activity to the Police. This is every group's top priority.

  Be a liaison between your group and the Police Department.

  Be responsible for scheduling your group's meetings. This includes notifying each member and securing a place to meet.

(To be considered an active watch group you are required to meet four times a year).

  Attend the Block Captains meeting. These are held every other month - The Crime Prevention Unit will let you know when and where.

  Create a map of your group's area that lists participants and distribute it to the members.

  Be responsible for meeting new neighbors and inviting them to join.

  Appoint an assistant or "Co-Captain" to help with your duties.

  Attend each group's first meeting and help get things organized.

  Provide the Block Captains with information to use at their meetings. (Current crime trends, statistics, safety and security programs).

  Publish and distribute a Neighborhood Watch Newsletter to each Block Captain every other month.

  Organize and conduct the Block Captains meeting every other month.

  Arrange for the installation of the large Neighborhood Watch street signs for active groups.

Neighborhood Watch is the most cost-effective crime prevention program in our nation today. National statistics show that neighborhoods involved in active programs are between 17% and 51% less likely to be victims of crime. But like any self-help program, its success depends on you and your neighbors.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH NEWSLETTER