Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.

Most Citizens believe that it is the responsibility of the police to keep their neighborhoods safe. They do not understand that citizens and the police have active roles in ensuring such a safe community. Citizens can be their neighborhoods’ eyes and ears, while the officers are responsible for enforcement actions and other services to their communities.

An active neighborhood watch is a must. First of all, get to know your neighbors.

The first step to consider is a meeting of all of the residents. Consider meeting in a clubhouse, civic association building, a church or a public location. Guarantee to invite everyone, whether it is someone you may not like for some reason. They are primarily a part of the community.

Assure to contact your chief of police or sheriff. Invite them or their representative to attend. Invite other law enforcement agencies in the county, including judges. Making law enforcement a part of your mission is a must. Ask for a regular contact person if one is available. Ask for Community Watch signs for your community, if available, from your local law enforcement.

Assure to continue with monthly meetings, provide updates and any training or information available. Serve refreshments, and make it an enjoyable social time. Arrange for guest speakers from the law enforcement community or others from the criminal justice community.

These meetings assure that your Community Watch program is sincere, ongoing and a deterrent for potential criminal acts. If, by some chance, a questionable neighbor wants to attend, let them do so. Let them see that Neighborhood Watch is serious, and they may wish to cease any criminal activity or move on.

Respect from your law enforcement is what you want for your program. Most importantly, you are respected by your local police and how you serve your communities in this capacity. The last thing any program would want would be the police calling on those participating in your program. Never brandish any weapon – if you carry any weapon, keep it concealed.

The first and foremost important rule is just being a good neighbor. Secondly, your safety comes first, which is a cardinal rule for law enforcement. Please do not take it upon yourself to challenge people, as you do not know what danger they may be to you. That is not your job in a Community Watch Program. You are eyes and ears for your police and nothing more.

What are some of the things that you can do to ensure a safer neighborhood?

You know the people that live in your communities. A pencil and paper are your most important weapons, excluding your eyes. When you see strange vehicles, especially at night, roaming around your streets, or maybe just sitting, do what you can to get a tag number, description of the vehicle and occupants. Write down this information with a date and time, which is very important.

Notify law enforcement with this information if you seriously believe that this vehicle may be casing your neighborhood. Such information may be most important in enabling law enforcement to obtain a search warrant. People quickly blame the police for not making arrests at specific addresses, especially for drugs. Information provided by the citizen may be the link needed to obtain the search warrant.

When on vacation, ensure that you have a friend or neighbor regularly check your home. Your Neighborhood Watch program may have a schedule for members to accomplish this. It would be necessary for them to walk around your home, check all of the doors and windows and for other signs of criminal activity.

Also, check any detached buildings or storage areas.

Finally, assure that you leave your contact information with someone if illegal activity is discovered and you need to be contacted.

Timeliness is most important for follow-up investigations by law enforcement. Over time, any evidence can and probably will be destroyed or contaminated. Others having access to the area would have to be eliminated as suspects. Neighborhood canvasses (identifying potential witnesses) by law enforcement would be seriously jeopardized. People start forgetting anything they saw or heard 24 hours after an incident.

After 48 hours, they have probably forgotten any specific details. That also ties in with keeping detailed notes on suspicious vehicles, persons, importantly, the date and time of such.

For those who have not served in law enforcement or are familiar with laws, if someone in your program is previous law enforcement and available, solicit them to be an information link, possibly before your police or sheriff.

If you have information to pass on, do not have law enforcement come to your residence. Instead, meet the officer at a location away from your neighborhood. That is to protect you and your family from being a target of the perpetrator. That leaves them guessing when confronted or arrested by law enforcement.

You may walk, ride bicycles or drive through your neighborhood while on patrol. Having another neighbor with you is a great way to establish camaraderie and friendships with your neighbors. Just be observant, remaining as inconspicuous as possible. Your mission is to be the eyes and ears for your community and nothing more.

Be in charge of your home and your neighborhood. Be a good neighbor.

Keith Throckmorton retired from the Fairfax County (Virginia) Police Department. He is a resident of Perquimans County.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images.

www.BertieLedgerAdvance.com 109 S King St Windsor, NC 27983 Main Phone: 252-794-3185 Customer Care Phone: 252-329-9505

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.

Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

A receipt was sent to your email.