Salem's Neighborhood Watch Program Meets Goal

98.7% of all reported residential burglaries occurred in homes that did not participate in Neighborhood Watch

Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - The Salem Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit announced today that the city of Salem has reached, and in fact, surpassed its goal of having 5,000 households participating in its core crime prevention program, Neighborhood Watch. Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program that emphasizes bringing residents together to learn about preventing criminal activity, while promoting neighborhood safety. The program focuses on observation, awareness, and establishing a “watch out for each other” atmosphere. The connection between neighbors, that the program encourages, helps reduce the opportunity for crime, such as residential burglaries. The Salem Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit began revitalizing its Neighborhood Watch program in December of 2004 under the leadership of unit supervisor, Sgt. Russ Isham. At a time when the city’s overall property crime rate was experiencing an all-time high of two and one-third times that of the national average, the city’s Neighborhood Watch participation was a mere 3% participation, or 1,900 households. A comprehensive public education campaign was initiated in March of 2005 by the City of Salem’s Police and Community Services Department to increase participation by Salem residents. Sgt. Isham set a city-wide participation goal of 5,000 households by the end of October 2006 which coincides with National Crime Prevention Month. Many informative presentations were conducted in partnership with Salem area neighborhood associations, businesses, and community organizations. After much effort and an overwhelming positive response from the community, the city of Salem now has a total of 5,087 households participating in Neighborhood Watch. The goal was reached on October 20, 2006 when Salem resident, Stephanie Hazen, and her family became the 5000th registered participating household. It was Ms. Hazen’s neighbor, Linda Crutcher, who introduced the idea of starting Neighborhood Watch in their area and took the lead as Block Contact to get it going. Burglars and other criminals commit crime in areas where they are confident they won’t be seen or caught – neighborhoods with dark streets or homes with shut blinds and unlit porch lights.

One way that Salem residents decrease their chances of being a crime victim is by inviting their neighbors to start a Neighborhood Watch program on their block. A 2005 study done by the Salem Police Department of residential burglaries showed that residential burglaries dropped by 12% and moreover, 98.7% of all reported residential burglaries occurred in homes that did not participate in Neighborhood Watch. For more information about how to start Neighborhood Watch in your area or if you’re ready to help make Salem neighborhoods safer, contact the Salem Police Department Crime Prevention Unit at 503-588-6175.