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Against
Crime
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH…is neighbors helping
neighbors.
They are extra eyes and ears for reporting crime and helping
neighbors. Members meet their
neighbors, learn how to make their homes more secure, watch out for
each other
and the neighborhood, and report activity that raises their suspicions
to the
Police Department.
·
Neighborhood
Watch is
one of the most effective and least costly ways to prevent crimes and
reduce
fear in our neighborhoods. It
forges
bonds among area residents, helps reduce burglaries and robberies, and
improves
relations between our police and the community they serve.
·
Today’s
transient
society produces less personal communities.
Families often have two working parents and children
involved in
activities that keep them away from home.
An empty house in a neighborhood where none of the
neighbors know the
owner is a prime target for burglary.
HOW
DO YOU START A
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH ?
A motivated individual and a few concerned residents can:
·
Organize
a small
planning committee of neighbors to discuss needs, the level of
interest, and
possible community problems.
·
Select
a Block Captain
to organize members and relay information.
· Contact the Universal City Citizens Police Academy (CPA), or
the Universal City Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association at: UCCPAAA, or
the
UCCPAAA Neighborhood
Watch Coordinator (NWC) at: NWC
or call
658-5353,
Ext.
526 to schedule an
initial meeting to
gauge neighbors’ interest; establish the purpose of the
program; and begin to
identify issues that need to be addressed.
·
Hold
block parties,
such as National Night Out, to help neighbors get to know each other.
·
Recruit
members,
keeping up-to-date information on new residents and making special
efforts to
involve the elderly, working parents, and young people.
Any resident can join: young and old, single
and married, renter and homeowner.
Even
the busiest of people can keep an eye out for neighbors as they come
and
go.
·
Work
with the
UCCPAAA Neighborhood
Watch Coordinator to train members in home
security and reporting skills and for information on local crime
patterns.
·
Attend
the Universal
City CPA. Depending
upon interest,
free classes will be held each Spring and Fall.
Contact the: Registrar via email or call
658-5353, Ext. 526, or
visit us at our: Alumni
Association Website.
·
Work
with the Universal
City Public Works Department (658-5364) to order and install
Neighborhood Watch
signs.
WHAT ARE MY RESPONSIBILITIES AS A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEMBER ?
·
Be
alert!
Know your neighbors and watch out for each
other.
·
Report
suspicious
activities and crimes to the U. C. Police Department (658-5353, Ext.1).
·
Call
9-1-1
for emergencies.
·
Learn
how to make your
self, family and community safer.
·
Talk
about concerns and
problems with your neighbors.
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES ?
·
Someone screaming or
shouting for help.
·
Someone looking in
windows of houses and parked cars.
·
Property being taken
out of houses where no one is at home.
·
Vehicles moving slowly
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.
HOW SHOULD I REPORT THESE INCIDENTS ?
·
Emergencies:
9-1-1
Non-emergencies:
658-5353, Ext. 1
·
Give your name and
address.
·
Explain what
happened.
·
Briefly describe
suspect: sex, race,
age, height,
weight, hair color, clothing, and distinctive characteristics such as
facial
hair, scars, or accent.
·
Describe any
vehicle: color,
make, model, license
plate, and unique features such as dents or stickers.