Residents can work together to become better informed on how to protect themselves, their property and each other. Through the Community Watch program, neighbors are asked to be the eyes and ears in helping each other and in helping the police in apprehending criminals. Community Watch is not designed to substitute for police protection. Rather it is intended to help the police by providing valuable information that can be used to reduce crime.

Community Watch operates under two principles:

• When neighbors get to know and watch out for each other, they watch out for each other’s property as though it was their own.
• The program helps to create an identity within the neighborhood, which in turn fosters a sense of pride and belonging for the participants.

Participants make their neighborhood a safer place to live by adopting a more observant and active attitude and, as a result, become more aware of strange cars, persons, or circumstances. Participants soon develop a daily habit of becoming more aware of what is going on in the neighborhood.

Starting a Community Watch

You and your neighbors can make the difference in preventing and stopping crime by creating a Community Watch in your community. You can become the extra eyes and ears of the Police Department to help capture of criminals in the act.

In order to create your own Community Watch, you should follow these steps:

1. Recruit and organize as many neighbors as possible.

2. Discuss community concerns and develop an action plan. Once you have recruited your neighbors, organize a first meeting. Your group should create an action plan that identifies the top three crime-related concerns of your neighborhood.

3. Contact the Morrisville Police Department to schedule a meeting. This will be an opportunity for your group to present your concerns to law enforcement and create a collaborative communication plan. Safety is a cooperative effort where police offer support to you and your neighbors!

4. Create a communication plan. Once you have had your meeting with law enforcement, it will be time to create a plan on what type of communication will work best for your watch group. Technology advances have made information sharing and interactive group meetings easier.

5. Hold meetings and events. Have an agenda and stick with it. Listen to concerns of neighbors, and redirect the members back to the agenda issues when individuals focus on issues too long or stray from the group focus or activity. Utilize technology to accommodate those that want to be engaged but are not able to
attend. Remember that what is most important is for members to feel a sense of accomplishment, and that their time spent at the meeting was worthwhile.

6. Make an attendee list. Write down the names of those attending, along with addresses and day
and evening telephone numbers. This list will help members stay in contact, and can be used to
create a phone tree.

7. Schedule meetings once a month, and hold them on the same day of the month, such as the third
Tuesday. By having a regular meeting date, it is easier for members to remember when the
meetings are and plan ahead to attend each one. 

 You can also browse the manual from the Bureau of Justice Assistance for more information.

 When you are ready to start your Community Watch, click one of the buttons below to get started:

For more information or questions about the program, please email Officer Schmitt at dschmitt@morrisvillenc.gov.