AlarmTech Security Services

AlarmTech - Neighborhood Crime Watch - Organize your own

Ten Things You and Your Neighbors Can Do

1 Work with public agencies and other organizations - neighborhood-based or community-wide - on solving common problems. Don't be shy about letting them know what your community needs.
2 Make sure that all the youth in the neighborhood have positive ways to spend their spare time, through organized recreation, tutoring programs, part-time work, and volunteer opportunities.
3 Set up a Neighborhood Watch or a community patrol, working with police. Make sure your streets and homes are well lighted.
4 Build a partnership with police, focused on solving problems instead of reacting to crises. Make it possible for neighbors to report suspicious activity or crimes without fear of retaliation.
5 Take advantage of "safety in numbers" to hold rallies, marches, and other group activities to show you're determined to drive out crime and drugs.
6 Clean up the neighborhood! Involve everyone - teens, children, senior citizens. Graffiti, litter, abandoned cars, and run-down buildings tell criminals that you don't care about where you live or each other. Call the city public works department and ask for help in cleaning up.
7 Ask local officials to use new ways to get criminals out of your building or neighborhood. These include enforcing anti-noise laws, housing codes, health and fire codes, anti-nuisance laws, and drug-free clauses in rental leases.
8 Form a Court Watch to help support victims and witnesses and to see that criminals get fairly punished.
9 Work with schools to establish drug-free, gun-free zones; work with recreation officials to do the same for parks.
10 Develop and share a phone list of local organizations that can provide counseling, job training, guidance, and other services that neighbors might need.