In addition to making sure you have secure locks in your home, you can help make your whole neighborhood more safe by working with a “Neighborhood Watch” program. By reducing opportunities for crime, looking out for your neighbors, and acting as extra eyes and ears for law enforcement, you and your Neighborhood Watch group can improve the quality of life in your community.

Call your local police or sheriff’s department and ask if they sponsor a program and whether they will provide information and training. With the assistance of law enforcement, you and your neighbors can decide on a variety of activities for your neighborhood, such as organizing patrols, making sure your neighbors know the emergency number to call, asking the city to repair burned out street lights, and cleaning up your neighborhood to show you care.

Whether you’re a part of a Neighborhood Watch group or not, you should report any suspicious activity to the police, such as a stranger running from a home to a car, going door-to-door looking into windows or looking into parked cars, wandering around with no apparent purpose or sitting in a parked car. Be aware of vehicles moving slowly without headlights or with no apparent destination. Also, listen for suspicious noises like breaking glass and screams.

Call 911 (or your local emergency number) and report the suspicious activity as accurately as possible. Try to remember distinctive characteristics of suspicious people like their gender, age, height, weight, hair color, facial hair, and clothing. If a vehicle is involved, make note of its color, make, and license plate number.

Get together often with your neighbors and discuss what else can be done. Remember, Neighborhood Watch groups aren’t vigilantes or law enforcement, but should be alert and observe what’s going on in the neighborhood.

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