I walk in a neighborhood I have not been in before and see several houses with Enhanced Neighborhood Patrol Member signs. I assume it is some kind of cooperative group that takes turns patrolling the neighborhood. However, after researching, I discover it is only rich people paying off-duty police officers to patrol their neighborhoods. I am much more interested in regular citizens who act as the “eyes and ears” in their neighborhoods for the police department.
The National Evaluation Program, Citizen Patrol Projects — by the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement Administration, U.S. Department of Justice — identified over 200 resident patrols in 16 urban areas. According to this study, such patrols involve situations in which residents themselves patrol or hire guards to patrol a residential area, maintaining some surveillance routine to the exclusion of other occupational activities. Some patrols cover neighborhood sections, with members driving cars and maintaining contact through citizen band radios. Other patrols cover specific buildings or projects, with members stationed at a building entrance and monitoring passage by strangers into and out of the building.
In the face of rising crime rates and a reduced sense of public safety during the 1960s and early 1970s, urban residents initiated a variety of crime prevention efforts. This exploratory study examines one citizen response — resident patrols and guards— and reviews the available evidence about them. The range of functions performed by resident patrols varies considerably. In New York's wealthy Upper East Side, parents of private school students patrol streets to deter narcotics dealers and street gangs from harassing children on their way to and from school. Residents of Garfield Park in Chicago patrol the neighborhood on foot, check depots for loiterers and other signs of potential danger and provide escort services. Not all groups, however, are committed to nonintervention, nor do all groups act cooperatively with the police. When municipal officials of Oakland, California, squelched civilian proposals to establish a community police review mechanism in 1966, black militants led by Huey Newton established the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. The Black Panthers subsequently initiated patrols to observe the police, minimize acts of police brutality, inform citizens of their rights when interacting with the police, and protect the community from harm.
According to the Neighborhood Watch Manual by the National Sheriffs’ Association, Neighborhood Watch is one of the oldest and best-known crime prevention concepts in North America. In the late 1960s, an increase in crime heightened the need for a crime prevention initiative focused on residential areas and involving local citizens. The National Sheriffs’ Association responded, creating the National Neighborhood Watch Program in 1972 to assist citizens and law enforcement. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, strengthening and securing communities has become more critical than ever. Neighborhood Watch programs have responded to the challenge, expanding beyond their traditional crime prevention role to help neighborhoods focus on disaster preparedness, emergency response and terrorism awareness.
In 2002, the NSA in partnership with USA Freedom Corps, Citizen Corps and the U.S. Department of Justice launched USAonWatch — the face of the revitalized Neighborhood Watch initiative — which represents the expanded role of watch programs throughout the United States. USAonWatch empowers citizens to become active in homeland security efforts through participation in Neighborhood Watch groups. Many neighborhoods already have established watch groups that are vibrant, effective and can take on this expanded role with ease. For neighborhoods without thriving groups, the renewed emphasis on emergency preparedness and response may provide the right incentive for citizens to participate in Neighborhood Watch in their community.
A Neighborhood Watch program is a group of people living in the same area who want to make their neighborhood safer by working together and in conjunction with local law enforcement to reduce crime and improve their quality of life. Neighborhood Watch groups have regular meetings to plan how they will accomplish their specific goals and assign responsibilities to group members. Neighborhood Watch is homeland security at the most local level. It is an opportunity to volunteer and work towards increasing the safety and security of our homes and our homeland. Neighborhood Watch empowers citizens and communities to become active in emergency preparedness, as well as the fight against crime and community disasters.
Activities conducted by Neighborhood Watch groups across the country are as diverse and varied as their volunteers and the neighborhoods they represent. Some groups mobilize to patrol neighborhoods, other distribute crime prevention information, while business assessments or home security surveys are conducted by others. Where disorder problems are the primary focus of Neighborhood Watch members, volunteers mobilize and conduct neighborhood clean-ups, or work with faith-based organizations to assist with the homeless and mentally ill who wander the streets. As law enforcement officers learn the needs of their various Neighborhood Watch groups and the dynamics of their volunteers, they can tailor activities and responses to meet the ever-changing needs of their citizens. It is not uncommon to see Neighborhood Watch groups participating in neighborhood cleanups and other activities which impact the quality of life for community residents.
In 2002, USA Freedom Corps was created under President Bush’s initiative to build a national culture of service, citizenship and responsibility. USAonWatch was established in partnership with the Department of Justice as an expansion of the Neighborhood Watch program to empower citizens to become directly involved in their community to prepare for all hazards. USAonWatch is one of five program partners of Citizen Corps, a national effort to encourage citizen involvement. Following the hurricanes of 2005, a new initiative for emergency preparedness and service swept the country. Neighborhood Watch groups are a way for law enforcement and citizens to work together not only for disaster preparedness but for all hazards and encourage citizens to volunteer in their communities.
National Association Citizens on Patrol is another national crime prevention group. Founded in July 1999, it is the first and only national nonprofit organization supporting over 5,000 citizen patrol volunteers in 80 cities, in 18 states who represent the best of the best of law enforcement volunteer organizations. Its long-term goal is to provide citizen patrol organizations across the nation with the same level of recognition, awareness and respect that other public safety volunteer organizations have which will help to increase the volunteers pride, recruitment and retention efforts. The organization’s mission statement is:
1) Support existing citizen patrol organizations with increased education communications and training to further increase their professionalism and efficiency, as well as assisting in recruitment and retention efforts.
2) Promote the use of citizen patrol organizations in areas where they are not currently used by educating the community as to the many benefits such as reduced crime and cost savings.
3) Educate the general public and media regarding the role of citizen patrol organizations and how they benefit the community.
4) Ensure the organization is staffed by individuals with the skills necessary for the association to be managed professionally.
According to Next Door, Fort Worth, one of the largest cities in Texas and the 13th largest city in the United States, is a destination shaped by its revitalized downtown, a world-renowned cultural arts district, beautifully preserved Western-heritage sites and major-league attractions. In January 2013, it was named a Safe Community by the National Safety Council. As part of the larger Code Blue slate of programs, the Fort Worth Citizens on Patrol Program was started in 1991 as a reaction to the high crime levels in Fort Worth communities. Since the creation of the program, it has been shown that the extra eyes and ears of Citizens on Patrol helped to lower crime by 40%.
On October 15, 1991, 105 persons representing eleven neighborhoods attended a twelve-hour training session at the Fort Worth Police Academy. The training was conducted for three hours per night over a four-night period covering legal liabilities, patrol procedures, communications and the penal code.
No one anticipated how successful the Citizens on Patrol Program would be. The program has been credited with being a primary factor in decreases in Part I crimes especially those of theft, burglary and auto theft. It also has served as a catalyst in strengthening neighborhoods and remains in an expansion mode.
Advanced training has been instituted at the Field Operations Divisions and the department has an annual recognition luncheon for all COPS members and their families. Finally, they have provided general support services to the neighbors in the area to which they are assigned, ranging from trash pick-ups to encouragement of persons to move into their area.
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