Starting a Neighborhood Watch?

Throughout the winter and COVID restrictions, most of us have spent more time at home. The upside to all of this time at home is that our homes are a harder target when we’re in them. Now that the weather is turning nicer across most of the US and we’re slowly getting out and reconnecting with our neighbors. And a lot of new homeowners are getting their first experiences with their new neighbors.

If you’re lucky, your neighbors are like-minded when it comes to protecting their families and neighborhood. Some of you might even be a part of a neighborhood watch program. If you are, how did your program come about, or how do you suggest someone starts a neighborhood watch program?

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Our neighborhood has tried to get a Neighborhood Watch going a couple of times since we moved in almost ten years ago. Hard to get traction.

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My wife started a neighborhood watch in our community years ago. Step 1 as follows, call your local sheriff, they will direct you to your Safety Officer. Discuss with him/her your interest, your intention. They will give you all info needed, direct you to any online resources, and offer to speak with your neighbors. Step 2, contact all neighbors, either by phone, email, or newsletter, hold a meeting in a place large enough to be comfortable. When addressing the group, stress the importance of community safety. Step 3, elect a road captain, this person will send out quarterly newsletters of anything related to your community, and alert all if/when needed. draw up a file with all names of families, including who resides with you, and all contact numbers for all residents . She also asked if someone goes on vacation, or plans on being away for a period of time to contact road captain, only to make sure no one is to be there. We also had watch picnics, just to hang out and enjoy our neighbors! Good luck

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I was in one with the last place that I lived a long time. New place (been here 4 years) is not friendly at all. One step below openly hostile in my book. I like the country better. Suburbia sucks rocks.

I do walk the area several times a day, so I am sorta like a lone patroller. I do know most of the dogs though. :smiley:

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I can see the value in such an organization. I’ve never been a part of a “watch” group. I can respect it. I imagine it takes dedication, hard work, and that probably most members of a “watch”, have a good head on their shoulders.

One thing I cannot help but mention is the sad case from Florida of Zimmerman and Martin. Whereby Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch member. I would believe that neither of them would have ever wished that it happened the way it did.

Are neighborhood watches required to undergo any formal training on how to conduct themselves in a safe, legal, and ethical manner, particularly if they own a FOID or carry permit? IDK.

What any FOID or permit hold does can also reflect on the greater self-defense and 2A rights community. If we do not offer to teach neighborhood watch organizations, then who will?

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Riddle me this:

What’s the difference between a militia, a neighborhood watch, a church safety team, and a group of vigilantes?

We started a neighborhood watch about 5 years ago, after several nefarious visitors into our neighborhood. Ours is the ideal situation. A long 1/2 mile road that ends in a cul-de-sac, with only one way in and one way out. Several neighbors work from home, so it’s a situation with a controlled street and almost 24/7 surveillance. Just about every house has cameras.

If something amiss is happening, we generally all are in the loop within a couple hours. It’s been extremely effective in our case.

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I think the difference would have more to do with the intentions, training, and actions of these groups as opposed to what they call themselves.

We don’t have a watch group in our neighborhood. But we do have a community of folks who know each other and notice when strangers are lurking about. Last month a truck was driving around scoping things out and seen going up to the doors of several empty houses. The sheriff was called by 5 separate people and the guy was caught on his way out of town with some stolen items in the back of his truck. Unfortunately turns out he was a local who moved in last year. Gotta be pretty stupid to try breaking into homes in your own neighborhood in a small town.

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The point of my rhetorical question was that any academically rigorous examination of the definitions and etymology of these words reveals they all share the same meaning. Now, in popular vernacular they take on different nuances of meaning, mostly as a result of propaganda campaigns to denigrate the concepts of self-defense and self-governance. Yet, even in a place like this, there is an unmistakable discomfort with terms like militia and vigilante, which are simply older Latin and Italian words for (very specifically) volunteer armed guards (from night watchmen and gatekeepers to a posse or paramilitary force) from neighborhoods, villages, towns, and provinces. These civil defense organizations are actually the foundational institutions beyond the nuclear family upon which civilizations are based. And our Founders here in America clearly agreed that this civic institution was the indispensable institution of liberty.

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Point understood and mostly agreed with. Though it only takes a few potential bad acts or mistakes to cast a shadow on even the best intentioned church safety team or neighborhood watch. I think it is too late to save the original intent of vigilante. Hope the other 3 aren’t dragged down the same road.

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Disney is trying to rehab “vigilante” with all their superhero movies. We’ll see. :wink:

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Our neighborhood watch has been going strong for at least ten years.
It’s a good program. The police department came out to instruct on what to look out for,
how to report, and ways to secure our homes and offer signage as well as local trends in criminal activity.

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That’s awesome @John292! Any tips your police department shared that you found especially useful?

Neighborhood watch, militia, and church patrol are looking to protect people. Vigilantes are looking for trouble.

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IIRC getting good descriptions of suspicious characters was critical for enabling responding officers to make a stop.
Equally important, they gave us phone numbers that bypass the usual time consuming phone menu you get when dialling the non-emergency number.

Also, we were directed to start a “phone tree” to alert all the neighbors in the Watch if there was an incident taking place, or something unusual was taking place, such as a contractor who had been scheduled to perform work at an unusually early, or unusually late hour,

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Here’s the background (etymology) of vigilante from Merriam-Webster:

Vigilante entered English in the 19th century, borrowed from the Spanish word of the same spelling which meant “watchman, guard” in that language. The Spanish word can be traced back to the Latin vigilare , meaning “to keep awake.” The earliest use of the word in English was to refer to a member of a vigilance committee , a committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily, as when the processes of law appear inadequate. The word may often be found in an attributive role, as in the phrases “vigilante justice,” or “vigilante group.” In this slightly broadened sense it carries the suggestion of the enforcement of laws without regard to due process or the general rule of law.

In English usage, it has almost always implied “rough justice,” ie lack of due process. In The Spanish and Latin, it literally just meant a night watchman (one who stays awake). But this comes from a time and place(s) where nobility owned all real estate and were responsible for safety/security/justice on said property in exchange for collecting rent. Same historical tradition from which the protection rackets of criminal street gangs derive.

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Hmmm…warrantless search and seizure sounds like a definite poverty of due process.
Would the government be the vigilante then?

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@John292 Governments commit most of the systemic, organized oppression and exploitation of human beings. They always have. This is why our founding fathers felt that government was a “necessary evil” to be constrained as far as possible while still being effective at promoting and preserving life, liberty, private ownership of property, and domestic tranquility. Until recently, all Americans really argued about was WHERE that balance was. Now, we find ourselves arguing about whether or not there even should be a balance. Terrible loss.

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Tips from our local department, “No Signs” Having neighbor sign will not deter a thief. Phone tree to be used as closest neighbors first ,let Calls / Tree expand outward from area cautioned. This works well as most people are in direct contact with next door neighbor. This helps identify if all parties are really concerned as you would only hear from direction of originating call. These neighbor watch programs are not a one and done to really work.

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True, Through out this time. It happened here. But it was not one of those watches that has the sign at the end of the road. Folks here have lived around each other all our lives as we are the off shoot of the farming community of the past. We always have inherently watched out after each other. We are Retired Military,Active EMS and Volunteer Firemen, Deputies and everyday people. We all have a conglomerate set of skills .

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