Recently a neighborhood watch was created by the initiative of a lawyer who had many thousands of dollars worth of equipment stolen from his property in broad day light, while members of his family were home, with a trailer that had been stolen from across the street. He saw he need for a greater sense of alertness and vigilance among our residents, who for the most part feel we live in a nice area and don’t have to worry about crime. (Mostly this is true). We don’t have gangs or violent crime, but if the picking seem easy enough for broad day light looting, in full view of everyone on the street, then the potential for more exists.
It began with sending out a letter to each house, utilizing address information obtained from publicly available tax records. An email list was created from the people who responded, and a master list of emails, phone numbers/names, has been collected by the people who volunteered to be block coordinators. The block coordinators basically are the face of the neighborhood watch. I am one of them. At the first meeting I met with someone who works with the local Sheriff and learned that there are only 4 deputies on duty per shift for our entire county, which has a very large area. The average response time to a call is over an hour, and sometimes it can be many hours.
My first duty was to compile an up to date email and phone list for my block, which is about 20 families. I went out door to door with a pencil and notepad and began meeting everyone one by one, which took a lot of time, but was a rewarding process. It gave me a sense of who exactly were my neighbors, up until this point I did not really know any except the ones right next door to me. This process seems really important to me, because the more involved I became, the more sense of community has developed with me. It also might benefit me and my family later to have connections developed with the retired military guys down the street, the electrician, the school teacher, or the local prosecutor. It isn’t always what you know, or what you’ve got, but who you know, and what they’ve got. A community can accomplish much more than one man and his family.
It pleased me to find out that many neighbors were very aware of the state of the nation and spoke like preppers. I spoke with 3 or 4 people for over 30 minutes each just about the economy and coming together as a community to face future challenges. All seemed skeptical of the government, if not out right angry with it. The spirit of revolution is becoming stronger and stronger among the average person. I made mental note of the neighbors who were awake and angry about their country and rights being trampled on.
Speaking to my neighbors I learned a lot about local politics, police patrols (lack thereof) and got a sense of the overall sense among the community about current events. I realized how important it is to know my local community and be active in it. If you are active in the community and people know and trust your face, it can go a long way. If you are a reclusive person who never talks to anyone, or never wants to be part of the team, then you will likely not have any pull, or any friends, when things go to h*ll.
It is worth it to begin similar efforts in your community, you might be surprised just how many people think the same way you do. Communities are much more likely to survive when working together like a big team, so begin your team building. Its for your own benefit. – Robert R.
Letter Re: Establishing a Neighborhood Watch
