HOA/Citizen Info on Creating Neighborhood Watch Program

A Neighborhood Watch program is a group of people living in the same area who want to make their neighborhood safer by working together and in conjunction with local law enforcement to reduce crime and improve their quality of life.  Neighborhood Watch groups have regular meetings to plan how they will accomplish their specific goals.  They will assign leaders with specific areas of responsibility.  Neighborhood Watch is homeland security at the most local level.  It is an opportunity to volunteer and work towards increasing the safety and security of your home and our homeland.  Neighborhood Watch empowers citizens and communities to become active in emergency preparedness, as well as the fight against crime and community disasters.

Activities conducted by Neighborhood Watch groups across the country are as diverse and varied as their volunteers and the neighborhoods they represent.  Some groups mobilize to patrol neighborhoods, others distribute crime prevention information, while business assessments or home security surveys are conducted by others.  Where disorder problems are the primary focus of Neighborhood Watch members, volunteers mobilize and conduct neighborhood clean-ups, or work with civic and/or faith-based organizations to assist with the homeless and mentally ill who wander the streets.  As law enforcement officers learn the needs of their various Neighborhood Watch groups and the dynamics of their volunteers; they can tailor activities and responses to meet the ever-changing needs of their citizens.

Anyone interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch program can contact the Simpsonville Police Department at 864-967-9536.