The Aurora Police Department strongly encourages citizen efforts to coordinate Neighborhood Watch programs. Community volunteers, not police officers, run this program. The volunteers coordinate the activities in their areas, arrange meetings, picnics and other social gatherings, and schedule crime prevention and safety training for the residents in their neighborhood.
What is Neighborhood Watch?
Neighborhood Watch is a group of citizens organized with the goal of taking an active role in making their community healthy and crime-free by working with law enforcement and other city resources. This is the basis of a strong community-policing program. A Neighborhood Watch Program is built through neighbors who identify community concerns and criminal activity and who work toward improving the quality of life in the community.
The program operates through a communication chain that includes the Police Area Representative (neighborhood officer), area representatives, block representatives and residents. Community members are made aware of resources at their disposal (i.e., Neighborhood Liaisons, Code Enforcement, etc.) to improve the quality of their communities. A volunteer citizen Neighborhood Watch board coordinates the program and is available as a resource. To find out more about Neighborhood Watch, email the Aurora Police Department at [email protected].
Through Neighborhood Watch citizens learn:
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Neighborhood communication skills.
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Techniques to reduce the risk of being victimized.
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How to recognize and report suspicious activity.
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How to make homes more secure and properly identify property.
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How to maintain the appearance of the neighborhood.
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How to combat apathy in the neighborhood.
A Neighborhood Watch Program is not:
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A citizen vigilante group.
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A program that encourages personal risk.
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A guarantee that crime will not occur in a community.
Why should a community have a Neighborhood Watch Program?
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Helps develop a sense of community among residents.
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Improves quality of life, reducing fear of crime and making the neighborhood more livable.
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Provides a forum to address community and criminal issues.
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Reduces the risk of residents becoming crime victims.
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Prepares citizens to respond to suspicious activity.
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Adds to the overall security of the neighborhood.