Yes, Neighborhood Watch has become one of the most effective means of fighting crime in our communities. Our police depend on us to report what they cannot see. We do this through education, observation, and reporting.
Talk to neighbors you know personally. Tell your neighbors about the benefits of the program and review the problems in your neighborhood. See if there’s interest in forming a Neighborhood Watch group in your area. If there is contact SDPD for help.
Recognize neighbors, so you know who’s a stranger
Recognize and report crimes and suspicious activities to the police
Protect yourself, your property, and your family
Share safety tips and review who to call and when
Share crime prevention tips, alerts, and other information with your neighbors
Learn About Neighborhood Watch
Contact Your Community Relations Officer “CRO”
Organize With Your Neighbors
Coordinate and Plan your Neighborhood Watch Orientation Meeting
Schedule Your Neighborhood Watch Orientation Meeting
Maintain the Neighborhood Watch Program
Find Out Who the Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Is
If you have Neighborhood Watch sign on your street, you may already have a program. Ask your neighbors if they’re are aware of a program in your area and for the contact information on the captain.
No signs on your street, contact us, and we can check our list to see if there is a Neighborhood Watch Coordinator in your area; or you may contact your specific SDPD division and request to speak with the Community Relations Officer.
The Mayor’s Office, San Diego City Council, San Diego Police Department, Sheriff Office, Town Councils, Community Associations.
The Community Relations Officer “CRO” is a two-way conduit between law enforcement and the local communities they serve. They bring goodwill to communities and help them thrive. They attend Town Council meetings, community events, and support police-community relations programs such as youth police academies, National Night Out, and Neighborhood Watch programs. Their community outreach is extensive.
Link - https://www.sandiego.gov/police/contact/community-relations-officers
We have 9 districts in San Diego; click on the link to see your district.
There are 9 area stations in San Diego; click on the link to locate your local division.
It’s the first meeting of forming the group and lasts for one hour (start and end on time). All attendees should sign in and introduce themselves and should be attending because they were referred or invited by a neighbor.
What are some of the problems in the community and their street
Safety Tips
Discuss a phone tree or email tree to communicate with neighbors and distribution of the contact list.
Activity log and the importance of reporting problems to police and street captain.
Review who to call and when.
Follow up with potential participants who could not attend.
Posting of the new sign or signs. (cost)
Most folks like to make this a fun social event with refreshments. Keep it simple; cookies or brownies, cheese and crackers or dips, and lemonade or other drinks such as water or coffee. Also, provide name tags, registration forms, and copies of safety tips.
If you’re currently having issues on your street, it is best practice to have the Neighborhood Watch Orientation Meeting and other Neighborhood Watch meetings off-site. Your Community Relations Officer can offer suggestions such as the library, school, churches, community centers, etc.
Use the Agenda and Sign-In Sheet that’s provided on the Resource page.
Good reminders; allow time for questions and answers and other topics. Send a copy of the prepared Agenda to the Community Relations Officer one week prior to the meeting. This allows them time to see what’s hot topics and areas of interest on your street, often times they can pull reports that will help answer questions. Send out the meeting announcement three weeks ahead of the meeting and reminders a few days before the meeting.
Invitation
NW Orientation Meeting – Agenda
Registration Form
Safety Tips
The Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, in conjunction with the Community Relations Officer, provides support for the Neighborhood captains and their Neighborhood watch participants.
Working collectively provides additional support in helping resolve problems and identifying negative trends in the community. They also attend the Neighborhood Watch Orientation with the Community Relations Officer.
Recruit new members, maintain participation contact list, and honor keeping information confidential based on sharing permissions provided by the Neighborhood Watch participants. Keep members informed about area crime and disorder, and serve as the liaison with San Diego Police Department. Act as a spokesperson for the group. Collect money for the NW signs, and posts, and maintain signs. Coordinate quarterly or annual Neighborhood Watch meetings (which will be decided by the Neighborhood Watch participants' needs). We’ve seen potlucks, b-b-q, and simple refreshments for Neighborhood Watch meetings.
The Neighborhood Block Captain is nominated and selected by the neighbors on the block. This is intended to keep the dynamics of the neighborhood in balance and builds confidence and trust with neighbors that their personal information will not be given to anyone without their permission, even if they are part of the neighborhood watch group. It is up to each person to determine how much they wish to share with the captain and the participating neighbors.
The co-captain is recruited and selected by the block captain with agreement from the coordinator and is there to help support and coordinate meetings. Sometimes two co-captains are selected depending on the size and needs of the block.
Here’s an average time breakdown: Learning about the Neighborhood Watch program takes about (1-2 hrs.);
Coordinating the initial meeting with neighbors and the Community Relations Officer (2.5 hrs.). Neighborhood Watch Orientation Meeting (1 hr.).
Subsequent meetings once a year planning and actual meeting (2.5 hrs.)
Monthly contact (30 min.) if done via email).
Other related duties (1 hr. per month).
Initial time investment is approximately (5-6 hrs.).
Ongoing time investment monthly (1.5 hrs.). The monthly time commitment will vary depending on the crime and disorder in your area.
If you have Neighborhood Watch sign on your street, you may already have a program. Ask your neighbors if they’re are aware of a program in your area and for the contact information on the captain.
No signs on your street, contact us, and we can check our list to see if there is a Neighborhood Watch Coordinator in your area; or you may contact your specific SDPD division and request to speak with the Community Relations Officer.
The “coverage area” is a critical component of what makes the program a success. Neighborhood Watch is most effective with a limit of 30 homes in a group or block area. The area can also include neighborhood parks, canyons, etc.
We encourage 50% participation on your street or block for the Neighborhood Watch program. Once you have 50% of your neighbors, you can begin planning your neighborhood Watch Orientation Meeting.
Why is this important? When bad actors see Neighborhood Watch signs or look into the program, they learn that, at a minimum 50% of the residents on that street are actively participating in the program. It’s a great deterrent.
The best practice is to network with neighbors that you personally know and ask them to reach out to neighbors that they personally know; invitations to join the program should be extended by referral only. Avoid putting random flyers and invites on doors.
Not all neighbors will want to participate, and that’s okay; it will be up to the discretion of the participating neighbors to invite into the program.
There are several options to get Neighborhood Watch signs.
You may submit an application through the City’s Official website at:
Link - https://sandiego.seamlessdocs.com/f/neighborhoodwatchsigns
Purchase Neighborhood Watch Signs Locally
In the 70’s there was a robust Neighborhood Watch program in our communities. The old signs are from that era. The new signs are more neighborhood friendly