Does anyone have any experience starting a neighborhood watch thing?

[Doug]

Does anyone have any experience starting a neighborhood watch thing?
I live in the Pinehurst (crimehurst) section of billerica and kids have been getting into cars etc. in the wee hours....I'm not too happy
All the cop could say was "it's just kids"..."there just looking for cash"..."keep your cars locked"...blah blah blah.
We could use a little "constructive/instructive" advice/info etc.

 

[JonBoy74]

tasers....oc????

 

[lord1234]

tasers are not legal in MA as far as I know, however OC is a possible deterrent, but only for self defense.

 

[RKG]

Properly done, a Neighborhood Watch can be an interesting exercise, go a long way to promote neighborhood solidarity, and possibly also be useful in reducing crime in a small enough neighborhood.

However, they are seldom properly done.

As a practical matter, you will get a number of volunteers who talk a good game but then don't show up for their assigned tours, are people looking for trouble, or are people who just aren't good at sticking to a regimen or following orders.

In general, you don't want to be a part of any Neighborhood Watch where any of the participants are not people for whose conduct you would not want to be responsible.

The operational key is that for each tour, there is one vehicle with two people on board (one driver and one reporter) and one person in his house near the phone. You go out and buy a bunch of inexpensive FRS (Family Radio Service) two-way radios, all of which are set for the same freq and tone. It is preferable if the people in the car are not armed, since the function of NW is See, Report and Leave. The car people report to the house person, who phones the PD. If the car people stick around until the PD gets there to observe and update, they do so from a distance and do not exit the vehicle.

My recommendation is that you start small and select players carefully, then run a few "practice" tours to confirm that folks are willing to put in the work (it isn't especially fun and it can be tedious). If you find that folks are willing and able to stick it out, then form a small (two or three folks, max) delegation and pay a visit to either the Chief or the Community Policing Officer of your local PD and have a chat. This will establish the credibility of the NW group and, usually, get you a better response to any calls.

 

[SteelShooter]

RKG has a lot of good advice. We started one but realized very quickly it really couldn't be a 'neighborhood watch', it was really limited to a 'couple of streets watch'. The problem is definitely the amount of volunteers you can get. We had a specific problem house in the neighborhood, so it was easier for us to target certain locations and thus needed less people. We got the police involved early on and let them know our plans, they were very supportive and attending several of our planning meetings. It was a great experience for the streets that were involved, and after the threat was 'eliminated', we continued an informal watch that continues to this day and the original set up was done about 9 years ago. A few new people have moved in and we have made it a point to let them know what we were doing and who they can call if they have issues. Communication is the biggest factor in success of your program.

 

[Doug]

RKG, SteelShooter, That's great advice! Thank you for taking the time to respond. There is a general consensus among several of my neighbors and myself that the "house" and individuals are known, which you would think would make the problem eisier to tackle for the police...at least.

It's obvious drugs etc. are being delt from the location (lots of traffic) which is a problem in itself because the kids are flying up and down the street. I just have a feeling it's going to be uglier this year than it was last year.

 

[SteelShooter]

RKG, SteelShooter, That's great advice! Thank you for taking the time to respond. There is a general consensus among several of my neighbors and myself that the "house" and individuals are known, which you would think would make the problem eisier to tackle for the police...at least.

It's obvious drugs etc. are being delt from the location (lots of traffic) which is a problem in itself because the kids are flying up and down the street. I just have a feeling it's going to be uglier this year than it was last year.

One of the things the LEOs told us was to call EVERY time there was an issue or a suspected issue. We had days when we called 10 - 15 times and the police responded every time and dealt with it. Eventually, they catch them at something. Our guy moved out within a few months of our starting the program. His brother was living with him and one night he got locked out and started banging on the door saying he was gonna kill him when he got in the house. When the cops responded they witnessed the scene and dragged him away.
We set up a chair on the neighbors lawn that lived near him and had someone out there at all hours, with a walkie talkie and a phone. One night they caught him walking around the neighborhood checking car doors to see if they were open. Called the police, they dragged him away again.
They also owned a big pitt bull chained out in the yard 24 hours a day,and it was nasty. I spent alot of time just out of chain reach, from the neighbors yard, feeding him treats and steak, he eventually liked me better than them and it worked in my favor one night .
Just stay vigilant and stay together, get a video camera that covers the street and loads to a DVR. You may need it.

 

[Doug]

One of the things the LEOs told us was to call EVERY time there was an issue or a suspected issue. We had days when we called 10 - 15 times and the police responded every time and dealt with it. Eventually, they catch them at something. Our guy moved out within a few months of our starting the program. His brother was living with him and one night he got locked out and started banging on the door saying he was gonna kill him when he got in the house. When the cops responded they witnessed the scene and dragged him away.
We set up a chair on the neighbors lawn that lived near him and had someone out there at all hours, with a walkie talkie and a phone. One night they caught him walking around the neighborhood checking car doors to see if they were open. Called the police, they dragged him away again.
They also owned a big pitt bull chained out in the yard 24 hours a day,and it was nasty. I spent alot of time just out of chain reach, from the neighbors yard, feeding him treats and steak, he eventually liked me better than them and it worked in my favor one night .
Just stay vigilant and stay together, get a video camera that covers the street and loads to a DVR. You may need it.

I was thinking web cam or video the goings on and then emailing the files to law enforcment et al.
It sounds like you have or (had) a very similar situation.
One weekend last summer my wife and I were out of town and our daughter had to call the police because one of the boys was out in the street in front of our house screaming at his girlfriend "I'll kill you..I'll f****** kill you" and this was at 2 am.... the police took him away. I think he's back
Their house is just crazy at all hours. I don't know if the parents are home or don't care or what the deal is. It just pisses me off.

 

[dagwag77]

Recently at work I worked with our Crime Prevention Officer to set up a neighborhood watch for one of the wards. We gave them a pretty decent sized stack of "start up" info that he grabbed from a different department, I'll see if I can find a copy and get it to you. At the meeting we had with the ward, few people seemed "gung ho" about it, and I think that it eventually fizzled and died.

 

[Doug]

Recently at work I worked with our Crime Prevention Officer to set up a neighborhood watch for one of the wards. We gave them a pretty decent sized stack of "start up" info that he grabbed from a different department, I'll see if I can find a copy and get it to you. At the meeting we had with the ward, few people seemed "gung ho" about it, and I think that it eventually fizzled and died.

Yeah I have a feeling most people will be shy about it for one reason or another (fear etc.) my wife plans on handbilling the neighborhood to see who's interested. There is this:http://www.usaonwatch.org/pdfs/WatchManual.pdf put out by the national sherrifs association.

 

[dagwag77]

Yeah I have a feeling most people will be shy about it for one reason or another (fear etc.) my wife plans on handbilling the neighborhood to see who's interested. There is this:http://www.usaonwatch.org/pdfs/WatchManual.pdf put out by the national sherrifs association.

I think we also had a bigger issue come up at our community meeting where they felt that we ignored their calls, they'd call while a deal was going down and a cruiser couldn't get there in the less than 60 seconds it was going down for, or the older crowd that felt like we were ignoring their complaints.

Taking a look at the document, its not the one we had (which I will get to you), but it appears to have some solid info in it!

 

[Doug]

I think we also had a bigger issue come up at our community meeting where they felt that we ignored their calls, they'd call while a deal was going down and a cruiser couldn't get there in the less than 60 seconds it was going down for, or the older crowd that felt like we were ignoring their complaints.

Taking a look at the document, its not the one we had (which I will get to you), but it appears to have some solid info in it!

I can't complain about the law enforcement in our town, it's basically the same as it was when we moved here 20 years ago and I was happy with it then.
I think they're spread pretty thin these days though.

 

[dagwag77]

I can't complain about the law enforcement in our town, it's basically the same as it was when we moved here 20 years ago and I was happy with it then.
I think they're spread pretty thin these days though.

Yea, thats the problem where I work. We "ignore" the seniors and some of the legit callers because there are bar fights, and domestics, and shots fired calls simultaneously that prevent officers from responding to "parking complaints" or a "suspicious parked car" calls, et al.

Honestly, I was upset to hear the citizens complain about the departments response time from the people that actually seemed to know whats going on, but there are a few nut bags who think that because we ask "what makes it look like a drug deal going down?" when they call the business line to report a drug deal happening across the street from their house, they think the desk officer is interrogating them, and that we "see their caller id" and then know theyre "nuts". And sadly, we don't have caller ID on the business line at the station, and noone believes us...