Neighborhood Watch

Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program which enlists the active participation of citizens in cooperation with law enforcement to reduce crime in their community.  The purpose of Crime Watch is to create an alert neighborhood by using simple crime prevention methods.

 How does it work?

·    Neighbors getting to know each other and working together in a program of mutual assistance;

·    Citizens being aware of, and knowing how to recognize and report,suspicious activities in their neighborhood;

·    Implementation of crime prevention techniques, such as Home Security, Operation Identification and others.

Why Neighborhood Watch?

Neighborhood Watch sends a message to potential criminals that:

·         Homes in your neighborhood are not easily accessible to potential burglars;

·         Your neighborhood is organized and actively involved in preventing crime in the area.

 Goals of Tifton’s Neighborhood Watch Groups

1.      Work with Residents on solving common problems.

2.      Provide positive activities for youth to spend their spare time.

3.      Build a partnership with police that focuses on solving problems instead of reacting to crises.

4.      Make it possible for neighbors to report suspicious activity or crimes without fear of retaliation.

5.      Clean up our neighborhood.

6.      Assist police officers in developing new ways to get criminals out of neighborhoods.

What Neighbors Look For and Report…

• Someone screaming or shouting for help.

• People Loitering – Unusual noises.

• Property being taken out of closed businesses or houses where no one is at home.

• Cars, vans, or trucks 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.

Report these incidents to the police or sheriff’s department. Talk with your neighbors about the problem.

 What is Crime Prevention?

By definition, Crime Prevention is: ” Being aware that a crime can occur, anticipating its form, location, time and victim, and taking action to reduce the chances of its happening.” There are three elements the criminal must possess for a crime to occur:

City of Tifton Neighborhood Watch Program

10 – Step Neighborhood Watch Program

Step One: Define your neighborhood geographically. Start small – 20 to 25 homes – so you and your neighbors can get to know everyone.

Step Two: Talk to your neighbors. Do they know that a Neighborhood Watch program is fun? What are their issues? What nights are they available for a meeting?

Step Three: Tifton Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit (229-382-3132) and schedule a mutually agreeable date for the first meeting.

Step Four: Ask neighbors to be Co-Captains (one neighbor per 10 homes)

Step Five: Start a committee with interested neighbors to plan the first meeting. Focus on the “3 F’s” which are Food, Fun and Free things.

Step Six: Advertise the meeting to your neighbors! Invite ALL your neighbors (in your geographical area). Talk to everyone when you get the opportunity. Deliver flyers to each home. Involve the children of your community by asking them to help by delivering the flyers.

Step Seven:  Call to confirm your event with the Tifton Police Department 48 hours prior to the meeting.

Step Eight: Set up a welcome table before the meeting begins with the sign-in sheet, name tags, and any applicable material provided by the Tifton Police Department.

Step Nine: Introduce the Tifton Police representative. The presentation will last approximately 45 minutes followed by 10 minutes of questions.

Step Ten: Thank those who helped after the meeting and get their help to work on the next.

Your Watch group can do something about specific problems facing your neighborhood, such as:

Break-ins

Work with neighbors on ways to improve home security. For example, consider:

• Increased lighting around homes.

• Home security inspections.

• Keeping an eye on each other’s homes.

Violence against children

To help protect neighborhood children, designate:

• “Block parents” — trusted adults at home during the day who can watch out for children on their blocks

• “Safe houses” on each block where young people can go if they fear for their safety.

Vandalism

Putting up with it encourages more. Help stop it by:

• Painting over graffiti right away.

• In stalling motion-sensitive lighting or other security equipment.

• Organizing citizen patrols for areas where vandalism is common.

Assault

Residents may fear getting mugged, attacked or raped. To help make your streets safer:

• Provide escorts for the elderly or others when they have to walk alone in the neighborhood.

• Cut trees or shrubs where attackers could hide.

• Push for improved street lighting.

• Have citizen patrols cover areas where people feel most vulnerable.

Drug dealers and gangs

To help get them off your streets:

• Help police target areas where people buy and sell drugs. The extra attention will drive them away.

• Report drug activity to the police or sheriff.

• Never confront anyone on your own.

• Petition local government or courts to shut down “crack houses.”

• Organize rallies against drugs.

Family violence

Neighbors should contact a family violence hotline or Ruth Cottage about the best way to report family and partner abuse.

 Gang Prevention

Here are a few gang-prevention strategies:

The family and the community are essential to the development of the child’s social, emotional, and physical needs.  If the family is the source of love, guidance, and protection that youths seek, they are not forced to search for these basic needs from a gang.  The family and community share responsibility for teaching children the risk of drugs.

Strong education and training are directly related to a youth’s positive development.  Young people who successfully participate in and complete education have greater opportunities to develop into reasonable adults.

Graffiti removal reduces the chance that crimes will be committed.  Since gangs use graffiti to mark their turf, advertise themselves, and claim credit for a crime, quick removal is essential.

Conflict resolution programs teach gangs how to deal better with conflicts and help eliminate gang intimidation tactics.

Recreational programs such as sports, music, drama, and community activities help build a sense of self-worth and self-respect in young people.  Youth involved in such activities are less likely to seek membership in a gang.

Drug Houses in my neighborhood

Drugs are a problem of society.  The use and abuse of drugs crosses all parts of society.  If you suspect someone in your neighborhood is making or selling drugs, here are some resources available for you.

What Can I Do?

• The first thing to do is to trust your instincts. Since you live in your neighborhood, you are the first one likely to see something that looks out of the ordinary. If your instincts tell you something is wrong, you’re probably on to something.

• The most important thing you can do is document the type of activity that has created your suspicion. Of course, what’s suspicious?

• What should you be looking for if you suspect someone is dealing or manufacturing drugs?

• Traffic- Foot and vehicle traffic will likely be more than usual to the location.

• Length of visit- Those stopping by want to get in and out quickly.

• Time of Visit- Traffic can be cyclical with busy and quiet times. It is usually consistent.

• Discarded equipment- Don’t go through your neighbors garbage, however chemical bottles, lithium batteries, large numbers of cold tablet containers or paint accessories can be an indication of drug manufacturing.

 Dialing 911 Reporting Activity

 In Tifton, you can simply dial 911 to get emergency help. Speak slowly giving details of what you have just seen including descriptions of the suspect(s), their clothing or vehicles.

Remember you are the first step in reducing crime in Tifton. Stay on the line as long as the operator requests. The police may need additional information before arriving

Suspicious Persons

Persons going door-to-door in a residential area should arouse suspicion if, after a few hours are visited, one or more of the subjects goes into a back or side yard. This is even more suspicious if one remains in front when this occurs. They are probably “casing a house to burglarize, or a burglary is in progress.

Pay attention to the individual who is waiting outside a business establishment when it is closed, or when the owners are absent. He/she could possibly be a lookout for a burglary in progress.

If you witness someone forcing entry into or tampering with a residence, vehicle or a business, report this to the police immediately.

Be wary of someone carrying property at an unusual hour (lawn mower at night), particularly if it does not appear to have just been purchased. The subject may be leaving the scene of a robbery, burglary, or theft.

Too much pedestrian traffic to and from a residence may be significant if it occurs on a daily or regular basis, especially during late or unusual hours. They may be narcotics activities occurring or it may be a “fencing” operation.

Suspicious Vehicles

Certain parked, occupied vehicles may be especially significant if observed at an unoccupied residence in your neighborhood, particularly at unusual hours. The occupant(s) may be a lookout for a burglary or robbery in progress. Don’t be fooled if the occupants appear to be lovers.

Be alert for slow-moving vehicles without lights, driving aimlessly or repetitively. This is suspicious in any location, but particularly in the areas of schools, parks, playgrounds, or neighborhoods. The vehicle may be driven by a burglar, drug dealer, robber, or sex offender.

Vehicles being loaded with valuables when parked in front of a closed business or near an unattended residence, even if the vehicle is a legitimate-looking vehicle, should be reported to the police. Let the police communication dispatcher know your suspicious and any important information you may have. For example, tell the dispatcher the family that lives there are on vacation.

Police need all the help they can get to identify the offenders. Don’t worry about “bothering” the police, and don’t be embarrassed if your suspicions prove unfounded. The police had rather investigate while the suspects are still at the scene.

Describing a Suspicious Person or Vehicle

The proper way to describe a suspicious person is to start by indicating the person’s sex, race or descent and his or her physical description as shown below. Clothing should be described from the top down and outer clothing to inner clothing if visible.

 Example:

• The subject was wearing a blue baseball cap a red letter ‘D’ on the front, tan jacket, yellow T-shirt, faded blue levis and dirty white tennis shoes.

• The subject was driving a 2-door Chevy coupe with a black top and red body. The car had a blue and white license plate, Georgia – ZE9311.  

 OPERATION IDENTIFICATION

This program helps to take the profit out of burglaries and other thefts by making the stolen property easier to identify and harder to sell.

Burglars and other thieves thrive on stolen property which can be easily sold because it cannot be properly identified. Recovered property that lacks personalized identification cannot be traced and returned to the owner, and it is difficult to introduce as evidence.

 Use an electric engraver to mark your favorite numbers, dates, or initials on all of your valuable property including guns, radios, cameras, tape recorders, tape decks, kitchen appliances, tools, lawn mowers, and stereos — anything you feel has a value.

How can you participate in this program?

It’s as simple as engraving favorite numbers, dates, or initials on your valuable property and making an inventory list. This program greatly increases the risk criminals must take to steal your property.

 Markable Property

Engrave your number in a place where it can be observed easily. Make your number as large as possible, and paint over the grooves you make with fingernail polish or correction fluid to make the markings more visible. Engravers may be borrowed from the Tifton Police Department.

 Unmarkable Property

If the property is unmarkable, such as antiques, jewelry, silver, artwork, etc., you should photograph or videotape it.

  Inventorying

When inventorying and marking property, use a systematic approach. Take one room at a time. As the property is marked or photographed, enter it on your inventory list. A detailed inventory list will aid you, your insurance company, and the Police Department in establishing your losses and recovering your property. The inventory is yours to keep. Do not send a copy to the Police Department when you have been victimized. Make several copies of the completed inventory list and keep them in a safe place.

 Identification of Stolen Property

If your engraved valuables are stolen you have a better chance of recovering them. When an officer locates suspected stolen property a computer check of the identification number is made. Items marked with the Operation I.D. Program help to locate the owner who will be immediately notified.

 Mark these possessions!

The items listed below are those most commonly stolen from homes, businesses, and vehicles:

 Your DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER should be used as your identifying mark on the valuables which you engrave. A typical marking should look like this:        GA. 002356789