When you buy a home you buy into the neighborhood, so why not help keep it safe? We can each do things to help make where we live just a little safer! For example, you could start a neighborhood watch program.
An individual or a collective group can organize a neighborhood watch program; it doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, single or married. You can send a flier around the neighborhood or visit your neighbors to communicate your desires. After gauging the interest, set up a meeting at local place so that you and your neighbors can discuss any issues that are occurring. As a group, create a list of topics that are alarming and that need to be addressed.
So you’ve got the gist of what a neighborhood watch will require; now you just need the materials! You’ll also want to set up a schedule for volunteers patrolling the area. A map of the community would be great for all volunteers and a list with names, addresses and phone numbers so that all volunteers can contact one another. Brochures or other material on topics of interest (i.e. crime rate, neighborhood facts, etc.) as well as Neighborhood Watch Signs to post around the community will highlight that your neighborhood cares about the safety of its residents.Once you’ve got the basic set up taken care of, have a local police officer come and discuss with the committee how to spot a potential crime, suspect behavior, how to handle a crime, and how to report one.
All the steps mentioned above and visiting the USAOnWatch.org site will help attain your goals in making the community a safer one for your whole neighborhood.
Christine is the Content Marketing Coordinator for Homes.com. She's a small town girl at heart, who currently lives in Norfolk, VA with her husband and their fur baby. When she's not working, she enjoys cooking, decorating, traveling, and binge watching Netflix. As a proud Virginia Tech alum, she also loves cheering on the Hokies!
