Neighborhood Watch????

[Shweboner]

My area has had a huge number of car break-ins recently.

Two days ago the stereo was stolen out of my wifes car.... in my *&$&^#% driveway!!! Worst of all my wife was at home at the time... She had no idea it had happened, but then again WorldWar 3 could be going on outside and she wouldn't know. But what scared me was the fact that the garage door opener was in there, they could easily have some inside.
Now my wife knows thats there are two loaded pistols in the bedroom (BHP knock off and an XD) and she knows how to use 'em, but still. My wife is 6 mo. pregnant, I dont want her to be in this type of situation.

I have taken care of the garage door thing, the one I have has a lock-out feature that can prevent the remotes from opening the door. Thats done. When i called to police to notify them of the theft, the officer told me that there have been an alarming # of incidents recently. So that had me thinking... do neighborhood watches really work? most of us around the block know, or have met eachother and get along okay.

My question to you guys is: Have you ever organized one, been part of one, and are they effective?


Thanks you!


~Brian

 

[Eskimo Jim]

Shweboner,
Sorry to hear about the stereo. Good job on the police report and fixing the garage door accessibility. At least its recorded and the police might patrol your neighborhood more frequently.

Never been part of a neighborhood watch.

I'd suggest:

1) keep the car doors locked
2) install a motion sensitive light on the driveway area
3) notify your neighbors so that they can keep an eye on the neighborhood too
4) can you install one of those game cameras? I think that they are motion activitated. www.cabelas.com sells them I think. THat way you would have a picture of the thief if they come back.

I hope the crime problem gets solved soon for you.

-Jim

 

[TallPine]

Have you ever organized one, been part of one, and are they effective?

No, yes, and I don't know, in that order.

Around here the sheriff's office will help you get one started. I would call whatever "peace" department has jurisdiction in your area and ask them about it.

I would think it has to be of some value. Besides, you get those cute little warning stickers to put in your front window to scare all the BGs away.

 

[Lupine]

Yes

They work. When I moved to my street a neighbor came over and handed me a questionnaire asking my skills, blood type, pets, etc. I was appalled! The nerve to ask such nosy, personal questions!

They had established not only a neighborhood watch, but a neighborhood emergency prep strategy. Didn't take me long to realize the benefits.

I grew up in a place where the neighbors pretty much ignored one another. To each his own, etc. Here, we look after one another's places, bring in mail and feed pets when someone's away. We have a good mix of retirees, stay-at-home moms, work-at-home web geeks, night-shift workers, etc., so there's always somebody around to call if I need somebody to check on things. Two of my neighbors have instructions for shutting off my water and gas lines in case of emergency, and those same have copies of my house keys.

And we encourage one another to have emergency kits, too, and we have a meeting plan for natural (or otherwise) disasters. If by any chance the SHTF, we'd be in pretty good shape as individuals and as a community.

We did have a break-in in a duplex near us, and by the following day, everybody knew about it and was on the alert.

Our city has an online crime-mapping system, and I checked it out once. Our block has suffered considerably less crime (of all kinds) than those surrounding, and I think it's because we pay attention. We don't have any posted Neighborhod Watch signs, though--wouldn't be too bad an idea.

Our neighborhood barbecues kick butt, too! (fishing freaks, hunters, grandmas and pyromaniac yuppies throw awesome block parties).

Important PS: I should note that there are a few folks around here I wouldn't trust with my last name, much less my info and keys, and made that perfectly clear to the folks who started the watch.

 

[bogie]

Get to know your neighbors. Look out for 'em, and they'll look out for you. My neighbors all know who I am, at least by sight, and they occasionally hear "hey, if you see someone backing a truck up and carting out stuff, I'm not planning on moving, so just call the cops, okay?"

 

[larry_minn]

Can be useful depending on how run and what neighbors are. Just having folks notice moving trucks/stuff going on at night can help. (daytime also)
IMO most die within 2yrs.

 

[del4]

A friend of mine is a member of a watch program. Just call the local LE agency and they will set one up for you. They supplied an old police car w/red lights, spotlight, radio, etc. It REALLY depends on neighborhood cooperation though. There's meetings, watchbills, radio watches, patroling and the like. It's not a passive thing. It's not a job for just a few people.

 

[Series 70]

We have one. A retired couple up the street are the block captains. They maintain and distribute the list of names and phone numbers and organize the annual National Night Out potluck.

Every once-in-a-while, I get a phone call from one of them relaying info from the police. Usually descriptions of suspicious vehicles/persons suspected of break-ins. I think it's a very worthwhile effort.

 

[bogie]

Two summers ago, I had a "get to know your neighbors" party. It cost me a keg of beer.

I figure that's cheap insurance.

 

[Sleuth]

My wife & I started one in California when we moved. It was worthwhile, not much effort, did cut down on "unlicensed door-to-door salesmen/guys casing houses." For the small investment in time, it could save you from a burglary or worse. It's all part of a layered defensive plan.

 

[pwrtool45]

We've had multiple car break-ins around here, and many of them actually occurred when we had *two* LEOs living here, complete with cruisers in plain view. Community watches, in my experience, don't actually prevent anything and simply prove to be a nuisance when you're engaged in legal but dubious behavior. Of course, this opinion was formed in my teenage years. Take it FWIW.

Being on good terms with your neighbors, however, is nigh unto invaluable.

 

[Bob F.]

Rig that motion detector light to work 24/7 and wire it to abuzzer or strobe (with off/on switch) so anyone inside knows the light went on! Get a dog.

Stay safe.
Bob

 

[Samurai Penguin]

Not an official NW...

I went to Motorcycle Mechanics school in Phoenix for a year. Anyone who's lived there awhile knows that they'll rip you off for the shine on your shoes in that town.

Anyway, the complex I lived in was populated by MMI students. When my class started, there were a mess of the usual break-ins and vandalism happening. But then a funny thing happened. After classes were over, we'd all roll back to the complex, chill in the parking lot with a few cases of beer, and study and BS.

Crime on that side of the complex plummeted. For some reason, a bunch of tattooed, freaky-looking bikers seemed to be more effective than an alarm system or police patrol in encouraging the BG's to find another place to ply their trade. So, we called ourselves the "Neighborhood Watch." Not anything really official, but for the most part, it worked. Knowing your neighbors and letting the BG's know you're watching does do the trick!