BARTOW NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME WATCH

The primary goal of Neighborhood Crime Watch is to encourage awareness of who lives in a given neighborhood, where they can be reached in case of an emergency, what to do if confronted with an emergency, and how to reduce the chances of crime occurring in the neighborhood. Neighbors working together through Crime Watch can combat crime in their area in the most effective way-before it starts.

OBJECTIVES OF NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME WATCH:

Maintain a cooperative system of surveillance over property, children, etc.

Report suspicious activity, persons, or crimes in progress to the police accurately and immediately.

Encourage home security surveys and practice Operation Identification.

Provide a means of distributing information to the community relative to self-protection and criminal awareness.

Assist victims of crime and be supportive to their problems, loss, or injuries. Help them to re-adjust to a normal way of life.

Encourage citizens to come forward as witnesses. Insist on criminal prosecution.

Help elderly citizens, disabled citizens, and children to protect themselves against criminal victimization.

Help your neighbor, and be concerned. Call to report any suspicious activity in your neighborhood.

 

For Crime Watch to be effective, every resident on the block should be a member. If you don=t know the people living in your neighborhood, how can you possibly know a stranger or suspicious person who does not belong there? Getting to know your neighbors is important to making the Crime Watch program work for you.

Each neighborhood should establish one person to be a Neighborhood Crime Watch Coordinator. Then each street, or block, should have a Block Captain.

DUTIES OF THE CRIME WATCH COORDINATOR:

Serve as a liaison between the neighborhood and the Bartow Police Department's Crime Prevention Practitioner, organizing two meetings to start a Crime Watch and inform the citizens about security and crime deterrent methods.

Work closely with Block Captains to maintain current phone and address lists of every resident in the neighborhood, important for the success of a Aphone tree@ to alert neighbors  to a possible situation, and to provide emergency information if needed.

                    Provide information from the Bartow Police Department to the Block Captains.

Organize additional Crime Watch meetings with the Bartow Police Department, important to the continued success of the Neighborhood Crime Watch program. At least one meeting every six months is suggested, and neighborhoods may certainly schedule meetings more often if desired. There are a variety of topics available to inform the community and help citizens be aware of potential problems and solutions.

Work with the Block Captains to welcome new neighbors and encourage participation in Neighborhood Crime Watch.

Relay information on neighborhood problems to the Bartow Police Department.

 

DUTIES OF THE BLOCK CAPTAIN:

Encourage neighborhood participation and welcome new neighbors.

Block Captains should only maintain information on 10-12 homes.

Provide information from the Bartow Police Department to the residents.

Compile and keep an updated phone and address list of all citizens on the block who wish to participate in the Crime Watch.

Assist Crime Watch Coordinator with meetings for Crime Watch.

Serve as a liaison between the neighborhood and Bartow Police Department.

Inform new block members of Crime Watch techniques; observing and reporting suspicious activity to police, practicing Operation Identification.

Relay information on neighborhood problems to Bartow Police Department.

 

PLEASE NOTE: The duties of the Crime Watch Coordinator and Block Captain will provide a means for meeting neighbors as well as a vehicle for making the community a safer place to live. It should take very little of your time and effort to carry out the duties listed above. The Crime Watch Coordinator and Block Captain are essential to the success of the Crime Watch program.

CRIME WATCH~REDUCING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CRIME TO BE COMMITTED

Most residential crimes occur because the opportunity to commit them existed. You cannot take away the criminal=s desire or ability to commit a crime, but you can take away the opportunity to commit the crime.

To create an effective crime control strategy, one must start with watchful neighbors, use adequate lighting, and secure their homes. Crime prevention is the most logical and economical approach to controlling crime in a community.

In starting a NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME WATCH, you have made the first step in reducing crime in your neighborhood by educating yourself, your family, neighbors, and friends on ways to keep from becoming an easy victim of crime. Welcome to the Bartow Police Department=s Neighborhood Crime Watch program!

For more information or assistance within the city limits of Bartow, please call the Community Services Unit at (863) 534-5034, we will be happy to assist you in making your Crime Watch program a success.

For information in your area, call your local law enforcement agency.