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You can form a Neighborhood Watch group around a block, an apartment complex, a business area, a public housing complex, or any other area where citizens wish to get involved. A few concerned residents or a community organization can spearhead the effort to organize a Neighborhood Watch with the assistance of the Police Department.

Community Watch Members learn how to make their homes more secure, watch out for each other and the neighborhood, and report any suspicious activities to the police department. Watch groups are not vigilantes. They are extra eyes and ears for reporting crime to the police and helping their neighbors. Neighborhood Watch helps build pride and serves as a springboard for efforts that address community concerns such as recreation for youth, child care, and affordable housing.

What to do if a group decides to form a Neighborhood Watch:

• Select a coordinator and block captains who are responsible for organizing meetings and relaying information to members
• Contact the police department for help with home security, how to report suspicious activity, and information on local crime patterns
• Discuss problems with your neighbors and report these incidents to the police department
• Recruit members, keep up-to-date on new residents, and make special efforts to involve the elderly, working parents, and young people
• Work with the Township and Police Department to post Neighborhood Watch signs in their neighborhood (usually after at least 50 percent of all households in a neighborhood are enrolled.)

What Neighborhood Watch Members Should Report:

• Any shouting or screaming for help
• Individuals peering into windows of residences and parked cars
• Property being taken out of houses or businesses when nobody is at home or a business is closed
• Any vehicles moving slowly or circling your neighborhood with no apparent destination, or without lights
• Anyone being forced into a vehicle
• A stranger sitting in a car or stopping to talk to a child
• Abandoned vehicles

Anybody interested in forming a Neighborhood Watch group should contact Captain Gary Richmond at 201-392-2100 or click here to contact via e-mail.