Neighborhood alert is the process of community members sharing information with neighbors about suspicious activity, crimes in progress, and neighborhood concerns. Through communication networks like phone trees, listservs and apps, residents can alert law enforcement and each other of possible criminal behavior. This also includes terrorism or disaster alerts. For example, during Hurricane Katrina, residents in the affected area used a network of phone trees and text messages to quickly alert each other that criminals were trying to loot homes. They also used the same system to communicate during a tornado warning.
A good Neighborhood Watch program is a great crime deterrent. It works by reducing opportunities for criminals to engage in illegal activities and by reporting those behaviors to law enforcement. It also encourages citizens to take steps themselves to deter criminal behavior, such as using Operation Identification to mark their personal property.
Another way Neighborhood Watch can help is by providing extra eyes and ears for law enforcement. As a result of the program, communities have seen significant reductions in burglaries and other types of crime.
One of the most important things a Neighborhood Watch member can do is report any suspicious behavior to law enforcement. It is very difficult for police to patrol the entire area all the time, so neighbors are a valuable resource that can help law enforcement spot problems before they become serious.
In addition to reporting criminal activity, a good neighborhood watch program can provide an extra set of eyes for homeowners who are going on vacation or leaving their home unoccupied. A neighbor can simply dial into the community’s vanity number and leave a message letting everyone know they will be out of town and who, if anyone, will be left watching their house. They can even leave a list of valuables they have in the house.