The Bernardsville Police Department encourages neighborhoods to participate in  Neighborhood Watch programs. The information below explains how Neighborhood Watch works and how to organize and maintain a successful program. Neighborhood Watch was created to obtain citizen involvement in discouraging and preventing residential crime. The program uses citizen involvement to secure their own homes and personal property and to report any suspicious activity to the police.

• Neighborhood Crime Facts
• How Neighborhood Watch Works
• Organizing a Program
• Program Duties

Neighborhood Crime Facts

• Burglary, auto theft, rape, child molestation, and arson are the most prevalent neighborhood crimes.
• Household burglary is one of the easiest crimes to commit and prevent but one of the hardest to solve.
• Over one-half of police time is spent on investigating burglaries.
• Household burglary is one of the most rapidly increasing major crimes in the nation.
• Most home burglars are young amateurs looking for easy targets.
• Statistics show that in over one-quarter of household burglaries there was not any forced entry involved.
• A majority of household burglaries occur during daylight hours.
• Household burglary has a high potential for death or injury in cases where a burglar is surprised by the property owner.

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How Neighborhood Watch Works

Neighborhood Watch operates to educate participants in the principles of deterrence, delay, and detection. The program depends on a communication network organized with three levels of participants -- the resident, block captains and co-captains, and a local law enforcement representative.

Vigilante actions are in no way condoned by the Neighborhood Watch program. No one is asked to take personal risk or be a hero.

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Organizing a Program

• Visit your neighbors and tell them you are interested in discouraging crime in the neighborhood. Ask for help toward this goal.
• Organize a neighborhood meeting. Contact the Bernardsville Police Department to have an officer address the group or be present to answer questions.
• Some police departments require a neighborhood to qualify for the program by having a specified percentage of participants.
• If the group decides to organize a Neighborhood Watch program, block captains and co-captains should be elected.
• Block captains should prepare a watch map listing names, addresses, phone numbers, and license plate numbers and vehicle descriptions for each residence on their block. Copies should be distributed to each household.
• Bernardsville Police Department has crime prevention officers available to perform a security survey on each residence in the neighborhood. We also encourage you to participate in Operation I.D.
• Once the police department's requirements are met, block captains should erect street-size Neighborhood Watch signs at each entrance to the neighborhood or block. Contact the Bernardsville Police Department to furnish signs

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Program Duties

Since awareness and involvement are the keys to a successful program, keeping interest high and continuing the group's crime prevention education must be a primary focus of all participants. Specific duties include:

Block Captain/Co-captain

• Schedule periodic group meetings (at least every six months), and encourage each homeowner to attend.
• Act as a liaison between homeowners and the police.
• Invite your crime prevention officer to address the group and show films on such topics as home security, rape prevention, child molestation, and crimes against the elderly.
• Coordinate home security surveys and Operation I.D. activities.
• Contact new neighbors about the program.
• Keep the watch map data current.
• Disseminate any special information to the group such as crime patterns in the area, homeowners that are on vacation, or attending a function listed in the newspaper such as attending a wedding or funeral.
• Distribute newsletters to members.

Resident

• Attend the program meetings and read the newsletter.
• Secure your home and personal property. Follow the recommendations from the security survey and participate in Operation I.D.
• Be alert to suspicious activity and report it immediately.
• Have your newspaper stopped and mail picked up when away.
• Inform your neighbors and block captain if you plan to be away so that special attention can be given to your home.

Neighborhood Watch is a proven crime reduction program. But, like any self-help activity, its success depends upon you and your neighbor.

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This information is taken from State of New Jersey Dept. of Community Affairs Division of Local Government Services in Cooperation with New Jersey Crime Prevention Officers Association.