Neighborhood Watch
Neighborhood Watch is a community program in which citizens work together with the police department to detect and prevent criminal activity. The focus is on reporting suspicious people/vehicles and securing homes and personal property. In addition, officers from the police department provide basic crime prevention tips.
Neighborhood Watch remains the most successful crime prevention program worldwide. By encouraging the citizens of Great Falls to become actively involved with the Great Falls Police Department through practicing crime prevention techniques and reporting crime or suspicious activity, we are taking control back from the criminals. Through the dedicated commitment of the City of Great Falls, the Great Falls Police Department, and the concerned citizens of Great Falls, we have made a significant impact on reducing neighborhood crime. Our Great Falls citizens are crime-wise.
If you are interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch in your area, here are some basic guidelines:
- Contact neighbors in your area to find out who would want to participate. Generally, Neighborhood Watch groups are comprised of neighbors who live on the same block.
- Contact the Great Falls Community Policing office to have an officer attend your Neighborhood Watch meeting. Usually the meetings are held in the evening when most area residents would be able to attend. In most instances, meetings are held at a residence located within that specific geographic area.
- Contact the Homeland Defense Volunteer Coordinator, at 406-454-6987 or rsvphdvc@yahoo.com for more information on the Neighborhood Watch Program.
Philosophy and Goals
Participants in a Neighborhood Watch learn:
- To be familiar with neighbors and activities on their block.
- To recognize and report suspicious activity.
- To increase home security.
- To engrave personal property.
- To communicate with neighbors on a regular basis using block maps, newsletters, gatherings, etc.
The goals of the Neighborhood Watch are two-fold:
- To reduce the level of fear of crime in our neighborhoods.
- To encourage citizens to accept the responsibility to improve neighborhood living conditions and reduce crime in our neighborhoods.
Good Neighbors Can Cut Crime
- Get to know your neighbors. Areas of low crime are areas where neighbors interact frequently.
- Keep an eye on your neighbors' children and ask them to keep an eye on yours.
- Join or start a Neighborhood Watch.
- If your neighbor is on vacation, make arrangements with your neighbor to have their mail and newspaper picked up.
- Keep each other alert and informed. A neighbor's garage door left open, keys left in a car, someone snooping around homes with no apparent reason, a stranger stopping to talk to a child or senior citizen are all opportunities for a crime to happen.
- Visit a neighbor who has been a victim, be supportive, offer help with babysitting, getting to court and locating victim assistance services.
- Make sure neighborhood teens have something constructive to do and some place to go.
- Make sure your neighborhood is as "crime proof" as your home. Notify police of any vandalism, suspicious activity or strangers lurking in alleys or on street corners. Organize a campaign to clear debris and brush; large bushes can hide predators in parks and wooded areas. Enlist teens and kids to help. Report abandoned vehicles and broken street lights, and repair broken windows. Crime-attractive areas should be cleared of litter as well as mattresses, appliances and other large discarded items. Vacant and deteriorating houses and outbuildings attract vandals, gangs and street people. Turn a vacant lot into a community garden or play area for kids.
Frequently asked Questions
- How much time is this going to involve?
- Neighborhood Watch requires a minimal amount of time. Participants are asked to attend an organization meeting. Once the block is formed it is the neighborhood's responsibility to make sure the Watch in ongoing.
- How long is the organizational meeting?
- The meeting lasts no longer than 1 to 1 1/2 hours. During the meeting, block formations are set up, block captains are selected and topics such as theft prevention, home security and crime reporting are discussed.
- What does the block captain do?
- Block captains serve as the main contact for their neighborhood. They update block maps when a changes occur in the neighborhood, purchase NW signs, encourage reporting of suspicious activity, welcome new residents to the area and share the Operation ID Kit with the NW participants.
- Do Neighborhood Watch programs really work?
- Police studies consistently show that crime is decreased in Watch areas.
- Do we have a crime problem?
- Local law enforcement will provide information regarding crime in your area at the organizational meeting. However, a Watch can be established before a crime problem occurs in the neighborhood. Participating in a Watch provides other benefits besides preventing crime.
