neghborhood watch ideas ?

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chuwee81

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I saw a thread here about a member who started a neighborhood watch and was just thinking about doing it in my community:
Pretty new subdivision, away from the city, surrounded by farmlands, LOTS and LOTS of improvements being made - expanding highways, new houses being built, etc.

so far it is a safe neighborhood, not too many traffic. I see kids playing outside all the time. I hope it stays the same. Anyway my only concern is that the lot on the right next to our (married) house is empty, the other (left side) one just been sold and a family has moved in 2 weeks ago. And we're pretty much make up the 4 houses in about 200 yard radius (3 occupied). I guess my concern is that as the lots get sold, construction crews will be building next to us or in the close vicinity and more and more traffic will come. Who's to say a white van pretending to be a vendor couldn't hide a would-be criminal where so many like it wander about freely in the neighborhood.

Again, we have no issues so far and the builder is somewhat reputable, but it's best to be prepared. My wife comes home from work earlier than I do, so when they start building I can imagine I'll have more concern.

Anyway so far my ideas, plans are:
* Invite neighbors to a club house or our house for a quick meeting.
* divide the subdivision into areas (section 1-5, section red, green, etc)
* established command center in each section - base for 2 way radios.
* have some ppl to "man" the 2 way radios.
* encourage ppl to "patrol" the area by their residential section and/ or other section when they have time. this can be done via logbook, e.g:

name: Bob
address: 1234 lake dr (section 1)
patrol area: section 1 & 2
Time start: 10.00 am
time finish: 10.15 am
Notes: unfamiliar car idling with 2 male passengers, license plate 123456, 1985 Honda, red (could be anything, coyotes/ wild dogs roaming, etc).

The log can then be reported to the command center and should something happen, maybe, JUST maybe, there will be a lead that could help the cops; " at 11:30 am so and so was robbed, suspects, 2 male fled in an old honda, etc".
I figure a log would be better than someone coming out of his/ her vehicle and tap on another car's window and ask what is their business in the area :uhoh:. I don't think residents have this kind of authority in the first place anyway.

If people can spend like 5-10 minutes patroling before or after they go to work, it could increase awareness in the community. Then maybe every month or so, volunteers can review the general activity in the subdivision from the accumulated logs that were turned in.

So far that's it. Please review or discuss, good, bad, suggestions. Did i go overboard :neener: Thanks and i hope this is the right place.
 
Um, you're going overboard. When you start talking to people about logbooks and "command centers" and organized patrols, you are going to see one of two expressions: Either their eyes will glaze over because they don't want to make that much effort (or any at all), or they will step back with a wary expression on their face because you just convinced them that you are "that paranoid guy who thinks he runs the neighborhood."
I'm not trying to discourage you from the idea, but just be aware that most people just aren't concerned about safety. Those of us who ARE, will be safety minded irregardless of organizational framework. <---Yes, that sentence is AWKWARD, be darned if I can think of a better way to put it. And most of us are the type who think, "Why does this guy think he can dictate comms protocols to me?" as we back away....:)
 
how many ways in and out? our neighborhood has a choke point. we have t cameras on it to catch who goes in and out and what time. so if something happens we have tag numbers to check.
 
A while back, a had a few neighbors and we had sort of a neighborhood watch going. It was just 3 or 4 people. The plan was if we saw anything suspicious to call each other and then all call the police at the same time.(It was later changed when we asked a cop about it, and he said it would be better to call dispatch, because it won't tie up 911 and get you off of their list.) I don't think the plan was ever implemented, and no criminal was ever caught by the watch. (I wish my current neighborhood had something like that, but I haven't seen much crime around here either.)
 
thx for the input guys :)

I really have no intention of "running" the neighborhood. I am working 10-13 hrs/ day (hospitality) so it's pretty much impossible. It's true that we need to increase our situational awareness, maybe the neighborhood would be better if more people are willing to do so and work together, that's what i'm trying to get at. Plus when i am away, someone's doing the work for me :D .JK, JK.
But maybe i am a bit paranoid. I know i carry when I'm doing garage work ( you won't believe how many boxes of shoes and winter clothing she has :banghead:) and have to open it up for prolonged period of time.

cassandrasdaddy
that's the whole point. It's a housing commnunity so we don't have gates and cameras. construction vehicles; big or small wander freely here.
Heck, i posted here a while back that at my wife's old townhome complex (gated and cameras at the gate), she got held at gunpoint. Good thing they only took her purse (which was found a day later in a ditch). I really felt blessed they didn't kidnap her because the perps weren't caught right after.

I guess for now i can talk to 2 of my neighbors and develop contact infos just in case. One neighbor has the common sense of leaving their front driveway light on at night (so do we) but our next door neighbor, maybe need a bit of persuasion.
 
My experience with NW is that there is one who wants patrols and radios and such but the rest just want info on the hood for gossip and a complain session. Our officer just repeats have water and lock things. When a vehicle break in occurs we just get lock your cars in your garage.
I had specific things I wanted to address like drug doing/selling, sex in the parking lots, traffic, vehicle breakins, graffitti and such. I have a video security system and was aware of the late night activites of some of the juvies and showed some videos of events during the meetings. No video of boardmembers children were allowed so how do you solve the traffic/vandalizim problem if it is them and their friends doing it. Nothing was addressed. Unless you are vetting each neighbor very well how do you know it is not someone from their household doing the stuff.
As far as firearms go our NW is very anti. When a single lady living alone asked about a gun for self protection she was told forget it you will only shot yourself or it will be stolen or used against you anyway. They stress light and locks call the police.
The end all of this is you must protect your family yourself go to the meetings and encourage your neighbors to be aware because how can it hurt. But if you want radios and patrols you will be on your own. :)
I will add how does two (insert race) males in a white Honda get your stuff back. Do you expect a state wide search of white Hondas? Getting a license plate would be best but good luck at night.You are depending on a older person with bad eyesight to get your stuff back.
 
Our community watch is primarily concerned with putting up "Community Watch" signs and organizing the mommys to lobby for speed bumps. Your opening proposal would have our group calling the local PD to investigate you.
I volunteer in my CW for some of the neighborhood-name-sign maintenance help but mostly keep quiet. I personally think the community watch signs and speed bumps are a waste of time and funds but we're practically next door to the local PD and crime is practically non-existent over the last 7 years aside from a one night car larceny streak which hit about 15 cars in the neighborhood.
 
In my town the neighborhood watch is called COP, Citizens on Patrol and was organized by the Palm Beach County Florida Sheriffs Office. They provide the training, uniforms, vehicles and assign a full time deputy as a liaison. The liaison maintains the schedule, and the vehicles and personnel assignments. The unit also has a volunteer radio dispatcher for communications between the PBSO and the COP units. The COP units are more visible to the residents than the full timers. Their was a decrease in crime as a result of the COP patrols.

Our COP personnel are certified to perform limited code enforcement. The units can issue warnings or tickets for parking violations, littering and other minor infractions/violations
 
I am the organizer for our subdivision's neighborhood watch program. We're in a very quiet rural setting and served by the county Sheriff. The subdivision is super-stable insofar as most residents have been here for years... there is very little turn-over and there are no rentals.

We had our first break-in over the summer in 2008. The subdivision is about 30 years old. Nobody saw anything, nobody heard anything. I put some feelers out to other neighborhoods and found out there have been a string of residential daytime burglaries.

I started the watch program. I arranged for the organizational meeting to take place at the local fire department's training room (free and local). We had an amazing turn-out, simply because everyone was taken aback about the break-in... Most people thought they'd be next.

The Sheriff's office made their presentation. I started a community website (private forum, registration and home ownership required) and collected EVERYONE's contact information and made it available to our residents. I also started a mailing-list for timely distribution of materials.

I asked for "block captains" on each street (3). I am the block captain for my street. The idea is the block captains keep a good eye on their streets, and become familiar with the comings and goings -- what's normal and what isn't. These people also serve as the primary point of contact for people on their street.

The program really showed it's worth in December when another house got hit. Several people came forward with information, which I provided to the Sheriff's office. I was able to link a vehicle and occupant description to a report I received months earlier -- the vehicle and people seen at the break-in matched a report I received of a susp vehicle. That early report also had occupant descriptions and a license plate. I was able to provide this information to the investigators who confirmed everything. Our suspect was identified and a warrant was issued on several felony charges 2 weeks ago.

I believe the suspect is still at large.

The program does indeed work. It will take a fair amount of dedication on everyone's part, especially the organizer. Unfortunately, I think most people are complacent and won't bother participating if they don't feel "at risk".

I have a video of the sheriff's presentation if you're interested in seeing it. If I can be of further help, please PM.

Steve

ETA: The advent of "homeowner's insurance" has made our sheriff's department very uncooperative. Their actual stance is that you'll never see your stuff, we'll never find the guy, but we'll take a report for your insurance and step aside. We had to do quite a bit of legwork... For example, a safe was stolen and a credit card inside was used. The police didn't retrieve video. I visited each merchant and requested they provide me the video (or pull it and hold for the police). The smaller merchants burned me DVD's (which I gave to police), and a large store archived the footage for the sheriff to retrieve (they didn't want to give it to me). It is imperative to preserve video evidence immediately as many small stores have only a few tapes or a small DVR and don't hold data for more than a few days. I had to constantly pressure the sheriff's office to do something.
 
Just throwing out ideas:
Do you already know everybody in your neighborhood? If not, start by talking to joggers and dog-walkers. Throw a neighborhood party and invite everybody.

A community email list is a good starting point. X is 15 and will babysit for $15 per hour. Parents are leaving kids unsupervised for the weekend, please intervene if they have a house party. Remember no trash pick up on Presidents Day.

Get teens involved. Often overlooked, they tend to carry cell-phones and can photo-document stuff. They are also imaginative and curious. If a teen is driving home and thinks 'what is that van doing at chuwee's house?' and emails you a quick pic of the license plate, they can be a hero without much effort.

For most people, crime isn't the #1 problem they worry about. A neighborhood watch is a great idea, but usually they start after somebody gets robbed or killed. In the absence of a strong motivator, you need to engage people. Ask them:

-Would you be willing to share your name, home phone, work phone, address, car make model & plate with your block, so people can call & leave a message if they see something going on at your home?

-Who is stay-at-home? Would you be willing to look outside every now and then?

-Who is at home after school? If somebody's kid has an emergency (locked out, fire, crazy burgler inside), can they come to your house instead?

-Who is home during the day/night/weekend that would be willing to watch kids in an emergency? For example - mom takes #1 to the emergency room, can she leave #2 and #3 with you?

-Who is willing to volunteer to check on the old people once a week/month? Who is willing to shovel their driveway when the snow is bad?
 
I believe the suspect is still at large.
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After you went to all that toil and trouble and the suspect is still at large?:rolleyes:
Hows that get your stuff back?:confused:

The program does indeed work.
Click to expand...

Just how is it working did you get the stuff back was an arrest made?
From the info in the post there is not enough relevent info for an arrest. The info might be used to start an investigation of the person of interest and that might lead to an arrest for something. But unless someone put the suspect at the site of the crime on the day of the crime I don't think you can arrest someone for being somewhere days before a crime is committed by someone similar.
Here we were told the recent breakins (4) were just kids looking for money. The police have not arrested one person or recovered one item stolen. That included computers golf clubs, coins, grandma's rings. How on earth do they know it is kids for money are police mental. My point is the NW will tell you anything to sound effective. Let me know when they get stuff back.
 
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I believe the suspect is still at large.
After you went to all that toil and trouble and the suspect is still at large?
Hows that get your stuff back?
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My stuff is just fine. There's practically always someone home here. Between the dogs and the alarm and the cars in our driveway we've been left alone.

The suspect is still at large because the dippy investigator called the suspect and asked him to come in and "talk" about the break-ins. He gave him until a certain date, at which point he said he'd get a warrant. The suspect got spooked and is laying low.

IMHO that was a poor tactic on the part of the SO.

The program does indeed work.
Just how is it working did you get the stuff back was an arrest made?
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He'll get picked up. He knows which neighborhood figured him out, and I'm sure he won't be back. Again, not my stuff.

From the info in the post there is not enough relevent info for an arrest. The info might be used to start an investigation of the person of interest and that might lead to an arrest for something. But unless someone put the suspect at the site of the crime on the day of the crime I don't think you can arrest someone for being somewhere days before a crime is committed by someone similar.
Click to expand...

People in the subdivision saw this person and his accomplice (unkown at this time) at the house in question, loading a vehicle. The house they broke into was being renovated and has contractors in and out all the time, so the people who saw him didn't think much of it until that evening when the homeowner returned and contacted me.. at which point I informed all of the residents of the day's activities and people started coming forward with information.

At least two people gave me a description ... two black males, one younger, one older. The younger had glasses, the older had grey hair on his temples. Both gave me a vehicle description of a green mid 1990's Nissan Sentra. Nobody got plates.

I looked through my notes and found several people reported a 1990's Nissan Sentra, green, with two black males, one younger and one older checking out the neighborhood at a very low speed a couple of months earlier. Two people reported the license plate.

I put 2 and 2 together and got 4, as did the police. Video evidence collected from two gas stations and a Wal-Mart sealed the deal. Same people, same car... on the video too.

Here we were told the recent breakins (4) were just kids looking for money. The police have not arrested one person or recovered one item stolen. That included computers golf clubs, coins, grandma's rings. How on earth do they know it is kids for money are police mental. My point is the NW will tell you anything to sound effective. Let me know when they get stuff back.
Click to expand...

Ours is a professional thief... not very good according to the Department of Corrections.
 
I know that your house wasn't broken into. But, you will be next if you keep depending on others for your protection and just like the one that got ripped off you won't get your stuff back either when it happens. Because nobody has got anything back.
he said he'd get a warrant.
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That tells the tale. If Det Dippy could get a warrent he would he wouldn't be making phone calls to the suspect like it was some leash law violation, he can't because all you have is some unrelated stuff no direct evidence the suspect broke in that house. This is FAIL. Do you have a video of the breakins?
If the suspect has done so many other crimes why isn't he in jail. Oh a dippy Det blew the case is my quess! My point exactly! It doen't work it didn't work for you even after a huge effort. I have video of a attempted breakin at my house and the Police NW never even wanted a copy. Plan face shot and all. It don't work if you have a Det Dippy or the PD just doesn't care.
There are millions of people on the NW and they have a hard time coming up with crimes that have been solved. :banghead:
 
Let's keep this on topic. Discussion of police investigative procedure is not on topic in Strategies and Tactics unless it's a discussion of how defensive shootings might be investigated.
 
We are in the midst of organizing a NW on a higher level............ALL members are encouraged to carry (either CC w/ permit or OC)and we do. An unwelcome element is in a few of the rental properties.

They have been been notified that we have ZERO tolerance for wrong doing.............should be interesting.
 
And how does the mayor, city council and chief of police in Lehigh Valley PA feel about that? What kind of backing are you getting? What kind of legal training do you have? What do you intend to do about this "wrongdoing" when you encounter it?
 
"And how does the mayor, city council and chief of police.... feel about that?"

Mostly a "don't ask----don't tell" attitude. We're just local residents out and about looking out for each other - tired of all the PC coddling of criminals. They will wish the police get them 1st.
 
They have been been notified that we have ZERO tolerance for wrong doing.............should be interesting
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Come to my door with this story and I will get a restraing order against you and your thug friends and all your guns will be mine. :D
 
Mostly a "don't ask----don't tell" attitude.
Click to expand...

It's not going to be "don't ask ---- don't tell" after the first confrontation you have with a criminal and the police are involved.

We're just local residents out and about looking out for each other - tired of all the PC coddling of criminals.
Click to expand...

And how are you going to see that the criminals aren't coddled?

They will wish the police get them 1st.
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Are you really insinuating that you and your group are going to commit crimes yourselves in order to punish the criminals? Ever hear of the term vigilante?
 
Care to explain your thoughts FN...............I don't get it
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I will make it plain. A group of armed thugs show up on my door step with a message, whatever. I call the police they arrest you for being on my property armed and terrorist threat. You see I video/audio all activity around my house when the judge sees the video you and your thug friends are toast. With that police report, video, I go too the judge get a RO and they take your guns away. GET IT NOW.
If someone in your neighborhood is commiting crimes get the info and call the police. End of story. :banghead:
 
Hi all... I have a couple of comments/questions and I would like to hear Jeff's opinion.

First, let me explain that recent budget cuts have eliminated a patrol from 12 midnight -6 in the morning.

About 2 weeks after this happened, we have had roughly 40 vehicle break in's, and our fire department of which I am a member had a truck badly vandalized.

Now I want to start a NW program, first thing I did was contact the local PD... they advised (As does the NW program....) to hand out flyer's, get participants and schedule a first meeting... they will attend that meeting. We want to keep it simple... just keep an eye out, and patrol during the hours 10 or so until 1:00... maybe in shifts... we will have to see who works when and what will work... it is mostly a weekend problem, so probably kids who we hope will be easily deterred and "chased" out of our neighborhood.

The question I have is this... Does being out on a NW patrol shed a different light on my CCW? I am obviously not our looking for a confrontation, but if something went very bad and there was a shooting would I all of a sudden be a vigilante? Jeff?

Thanks,

Leroy
 
there was a thread about a pair of idiots well meaning but all parties invovled had forgotten to back there branins that night.

two NW patroling unmarked and armed accost some teenage girls stupid move 1
who run home tell daddy about odd strangers now instead of calling police takes gun to confront stangers stupid move 2
confrontation somebody gets shot but survives move 3
going to be settled in court:(

patrol and observe all you want phone the police but don't confront people your not the law and you will be in a world of hurt if you use a gun.
 
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