Sauk VillageNeighborhood Watch

Coordinators:Trustee Lynda Washington

Trustee Ed Myers

Produced By: Gary F. Holcomb, Sr.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH PROGRAMS

• Neighborhood watch programs are also useful for the dissemination of official information from law enforcement agencies to residents. Such information works in heightening individual and collective awareness about crimes being committed in an area. Because neighborhood watch programs maintain a close working relationship with local law enforcement, information tends to be more accurate and useful in terms of identifying crimes and likely suspects.

Cohesiveness between Community Members

• Neighborhood watch programs require close working relationships between individual neighbors. By viewing the community as an entity that each resident owes a commitment to, neighbors tend to feel a greater sense of responsibility toward one another and the community as a whole.

Relationships with Local Authorities

• As volunteers, neighborhood watch program members rely on local police departments to assist with the information and education needed in order for programs to be successful in reducing crime. Through this effort, community members and local police departments are able to form closer relationships and create deeper understandings of the barriers each group faces in overcoming crime. With the shared goal of eliminating crime, volunteers and local police departments tend to view one another as team members although one group is comprised of paid civil servants and the other of volunteers.

Neighborhood Safety Tips

• It is vital to communicate with your children about their home and neighborhood. It is also important to pay careful attention to their feelings about the neighborhood and encourage them to share their thoughts with you.

• 1. Make certain your children know their full names, address, and telephone numbers.

• 2. Make a point of meeting your neighbors and introducing them to your children while you are with them.

3. Make a list of contact and emergency telephone. Include TRUSTED ADULTS your children may contact if they need assistance and you are unavailable. In the event your children may be lost or injured, make sure they carry a contact card with your name and telephone numbers such as work and cellular. This card should be hidden from plain view.4. Take your children on a walking tour of the neighborhood, and determine what supervision they need when outside. Teach them•Surrounding streets and main roads by name and landmarks•To stay on main roads and never takeshortcuts

Landmarks and safe places they may go to for assistance if they need help • Make a map with your children of acceptable

routes to and from school, the playground, store, and any other locations they are allowed to visit. Encourage them to carry the map at all times to use if they need help finding their way.

• Remind your children they must CHECK FIRST with you before going anywhere or changing plans.

Personal Information

Teach your children to never give out personal information to anyone or tell

anyone they are home alone.

When going away for any period of time

1. Ask neighbors to keep an eye on your home.2. Contact the Village Police Department

• Inform them when you will be leaving, and when you expect to return.• Give a list of persons that they may contact in an emergency.• Give a list of those people that will be in and around the home during your absences. • Inform your trusted neighbors your plans.

THE BEST DEFENSE IS FOR NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS

BY LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER AND CALLING THE POLICE

IF YOU SEE ANYTHING OUT OF ORDER.

Crime Stoppers

• Making School Children Safer• When crime, drugs and violence spill over from

the streets into the schools, providing a safe environment becomes increasingly difficult. Gunfights replace fistfights.

• Creating a safe place where children can learn and grow depends on a partnership among students, parents, teachers, a well as other community institutions.

Students• Should settle arguments with words, not fists or

weapons.• Report crime or suspicious activities to the police, school

authorities or parents.• Take safe routes to and from school and know good

places to seek help. This is an exercise parents should do with children before the school year and rehearse throughout the year.

• Stay away from people and places where drugs and or alcohol are being used.• Students should get involved in school anti-violence

activities. If there are no programs, start one.

Parents

• Work with children to emphasize and build their positive strengths.

• Teach children how to reduce their risk of being victims or crime.

• Help children to learn nonviolent ways to handle frustration, anger and conflict.

• Become involved in school activities. Help out in the classes.

• Work with other parents and your child's teachers.

Vehicle Theft & Burglary Prevention

• Always lock your car and pocket the keys, even if just for a minute. That's all it takes to steal your car. Doors should be locked even when you are in the car.

• Close all windows when leaving the car, even in HOT weather.

• Control the keys. Never leave ID on key ring. If lost or stolen, not only can a thief take your car, but if your house keys are on the ring, you could have your house burglarized.

Vehicle Theft & Burglary Prevention Continued

• Don't leave registration or identification papers or credit cards in vehicle.

• Do not leave your property in plain view. Persons have been known to break into a vehicle for pocket change, candy, tapes, CD's, anything.

Home and neighborhood security• If your neighborhood is having chronic

problems with nuisances such as noise and speeding, or more serious problems such as drug or gang activities, you are not powerless to change the situation, active neighbors help investigations and allow police to take further action.

• Your response can, as well as that of your neighbor, make a difference.

What Can you do?

• Report Crime - Don't assume that your neighbors have already reported the crime or that the police already know what is going on.

• Don't Be Part of the Problem - When you live in a residential neighborhood, your actions are felt by others. By not speeding, maintaining your house and property, and being thoughtful about noise levels - you will set a standard of behavior for others in your neighborhood to follow.

What can neighbors do?• Start A Block Watch - an active Block Watch may be the

most important tool you have to reclaim your neighborhood, or to stop problems before they get too serious.

• Be A Good Neighbor - Meet your neighbors, keep a watchful eye on the neighborhood and report suspicious activities.

• Keep A Log - If your neighborhood is experiencing chronic problems, keeping records of where, when and what kind of activity occurred will help later, especially if there is a criminal prosecution or need to establish a pattern of behavior.

Graffiti & VANDALISM

• How to report graffiti:*Graffiti is vandalism without permission. Graffiti is created to be seen by others, so the best thing you can do if it appears on your property is to report it, document it, and then clean it up thoroughly and immediately. *To report an act of graffiti or vandalism in progress, call 9-1-1.

If the graffiti is on your property

• Once you have reported the graffiti, if the graffiti is on your property or business the graffiti requires that you remove or have it removed in a timely manner.

For Property Owners

• Keep the neighborhood clean to send the message that you care about the neighborhood.

• Join a Neighborhood Block Watch Program.

Volunteer to Clean Up Graffiti

• Want to clean up graffiti in your neighborhood? Two ways you can volunteer:

• 1.Pledge to keep a four-block area graffiti-free on an ongoing basis as a Sauk Village Beatification Committee volunteer

• 2.Organize a Community Paint-out event.

Neighborhood Watch Programs Work

• Perhaps the greatest benefit of a neighborhood watch program is that they are often very effective in reducing crime. Members develop habits of paying closer attention to their neighborhood and, in particular, keeping a protective eye out for other neighbor’s homes and personal property. Within these programs neighbors also tend to share home security information and become better educated on security devices and home security options, in general.

Creating a Neighborhood Watch Program is one way for the community to assist

the police with finding solutions to crime.

Don’t be a victimbe part of the Solution