At your first Neighborhood Watch meeting, you likely met with your Community Service Officer and/or a Neighborhood Watch representative. You received information on how to be a good witness, what to look out for, and that keeping an open line of communication is key to the success of your group. If you witness a suspicious person, you can alert your neighbors first. However, if you witness someone with a weapon or committing a crime in progress such as actively breaking into a car or home, you should call 9-1-1 first with as much detail as possible and then alert your neighbors.
Establish your Good Neighbor Network and an internal communication system. Meet as often as you need and make your gatherings fun too. Schedule meet-and-greet events as you get to know more neighbors. Encourage each neighbor who attends your event to invite a neighbor near them to build on your network. Saturday morning coffee in a driveway, park pizza parties, BBQs in a front yard, or a gathering in a neighborhood park are great ways to build relationships and get to know the people who live near you.
Once you get to know your neighbors, you will naturally start looking out for each other. Your Community Services officers or Neighborhood Watch representatives are always open to invitations to touch bases with your group or address crime concerns as needed. We cannot guarantee that all meetings will be attended by staff every time, but we will surely do our best to accommodate schedules.