Neighborhood Watch 

The Neighborhood Watch Program is organized to enable the police and the community to work together to make specific geographical areas more crime resistant. It is a citizen involvement, neighborhood and community-based effort, designed to help citizens and the police or sheriffs' department in preventing primarily residential burglaries. Neighborhood Watch encourages strong working relationships between patrol officers and the citizens they serve.  Neighborhood Watch, Crime Watch, Block Watch, -- whatever the title, is one of the most effective and least costly methods to prevent crime and reduce fear. 

Police departments across the country are learning that community participation in anti-crime programs is essential. One of the most effective ways to promote citizen interaction with police is the sharing of information. Citizen groups determine specific needs or problems and then share this information with local police. The police then act on this information and report back to the group on their progress. This program also works when the police go to public groups and organizations and make them aware of specific criminal activities, or the needs of the police department.

Why Organize a Neighborhood Against Crime?  

Crime and fear of crime threaten a community's well-being. People become afraid to leave their homes, to use streets and parks or to walk through the neighborhood. Suspicion erupts between the young and old. Businesses gradually leave. Crime in turn feeds on the social isolation it creates. Today's lifestyles -- many homes where both parents work, more single parent families, and greater job mobility -- can contribute to this isolation and weaken communities.

Neighbors can prevent or break this vicious cycle and build their community into a safer, friendlier, and more caring place to live. Whatever your neighborhood is like, getting together to fight crime, violence, and drugs can help create communities where children can be children and people once isolated by crime and fear, can enjoy being a part of a thriving neighborhood.

The Neighborhood Watch program's success depends on achieving and sustaining an appropriate level of community involvement to a point where the neighborhood realizes a reduction and/or achieves prevention of residential burglaries and other residential area crime.  Statistics and criminals alike verify that when neighbors organize, the opportunity for crime is drastically reduced.

Want to develop a Neighborhood Watch program?  Contact the City of Bend Police Department's Community Liaison, Steve Esselstyn at 322-2976.