Neighborhood Watch typically begins with an organizing meeting in the home of a neighborhood Sponsor.  Community Policing Officers provide information on how to make individual homes harder for burglars to break into – “target hardening,” as it is called in crime prevention.

The Officers also discuss when and how to call the police: What kinds of activities should be reported as suspicious, and what kinds of information Police Dispatchers will need to make sure officers are prepared to recognize any suspicious people when they approach or arrive in the neighborhood in response to a call.

Finally, Officers discuss how to build a sense of community among the neighbors, so that neighbors come to know each other and can look out for each other and how to maintain the neighborhood so that visitors know that the residents care about what happens there.  The Neighborhood Watch signs say, “Suspicious activities will be reported to the Police.”

To learn about the Neighborhood Watch program in your area, or to obtain an information packet, contact the City of Yuma Police Department Community Oriented Policing Unit.