Lane County Neighborhood Watch

541-682-4178 neighborhood.watch@co.lane.or.us

GETTING STARTED!

The benefits of organizing and participating in a Neighborhood Watch program translate

into a higher quality of life. The following are some standard steps to help ensure a

strong attendance and participation in your Neighborhood Watch Program.

1. As a concerned community member contact the Lane County Neighborhood Watch

Office 682-4178 to discuss the possibility of starting a Neighborhood Watch. The

Sheriff’s Office will explain the concept of Neighborhood Watch and discuss your

current crime situation and send you a Neighborhood Watch Interest Packet.

2. After the decision to have a start up meeting, you may want to personally canvass

the neighborhood for interest and discuss the current crime problems, explain the

value of the Neighborhood Watch Program in the area and ascertain convenient

dates, times and possible locations to schedule your initial group meeting.

3. Be sure that you schedule your first meeting in a place convenient to the

neighborhood, such as a private home, church, school, library or other local

community building. Contact the Lane County Neighborhood Watch office 10 to 14

days in advance to secure the date and place of the first meeting with the sheriff’s

office representative.

4. Seek help from the neighbors you contact. They may volunteer to help with

refreshments, folding chairs, escorting seniors or the disabled to the meeting.

5. Recruit a neighbor to draw a large map of all the streets and households to be

covered by your Neighborhood Watch organization. Start with a manageable

number of homes at first; you can always add other areas.

6. Use the provided invitational flyer sent in the Interest Packet or write your own and

see that one is delivered to every home on your target list. Just before the meeting

follow up each invitation with a call or personal visit, reminding neighbors of the

meeting time and place. Try to get each household to commit at least one adult

member to the meeting so you can estimate potential attendance.

7. All age groups are welcome to join Neighborhood Watch, as they can add

substantially to the program. Senior citizen participation is a plus, retired seniors

who are home can observe the neighborhood when many other adults are at work.

8. At the meeting give your neighbors a chance to socialize, then explain the agenda.

Pass out an attendance sheet with names, addresses and phone numbers. Recruit

one or more volunteers to complete a communication tree. Arrange for copies of the

above lists and maps to be given to each member of your Watch. Recruit a social

director to set up a social event within the next four to six weeks. Recruit a flyer

expert to get the notices out to the neighborhood.

WHILE ORGANIZING, BE SURE TO MENTION:

**Neighborhood Watch does not require frequent meetings.

**Neighborhood Watch does not ask anyone to take personal risks to prevent crime.

**Neighborhood Watch members are not obligated to participate in patrols.

**Neighborhood Watch leaves the responsibility for the apprehension of criminals

where it belongs – with the local law enforcement agency.