The Basics
Neighborhood Watch is a simple program dedicated to improving the quality of life in Columbia’s neighborhoods. It is citizens and police working in partnership. Basically, a Neighborhood Watch is citizens watching out for each other and addressing issues that concern your neighborhood. It is about empowering you, the citizens of Columbia, to help reduce your chances of being victimized by crime through education and teamwork.

Why Neighborhood Watch?
Whether you live in a high crime area or not, a Neighborhood Watch program offers numerous benefits for your area. Such programs instill a greater sense of security, well-being, and reduce the fear of crime in your neighborhood. In a word, Neighborhood Watch helps instill a greater “sense of community,” by putting the neighbor back into neighborhood. Here are some of the other benefits you can expect by participating in Columbia’s Neighborhood Watch program:

• Reducing the risk of being a crime victim Being better prepared to respond to suspicious activity Increased information on issues that impact your neighborhood Obtaining Neighborhood Watch signsGetting to know your neighbors
• Reducing the fear of crime and making your neighborhood more liveable

Monthly City-Wide Neighborhood Watch Meeting
The Columbia Police Department's Community Policing Unit (COPS Unit) will host a monthly city-wide Neighborhood Watch meeting on the second Thursday of each month. These meetings will be at city hall in the Counsel Chambers starting at 6:30pm. During these meetings the Community Policing Unit will be presenting monthly crime statistics and other helpful information to someone from each Neighborhood Watch group. Then that person takes the information back to their Neighborhood Watch groups. For more information on the monthly city-wide meetings you can contact the Community Policing Unit at (931) 840-5977.

How much work is involved?
This is a fair question and the answer depends on you. Some areas have major concerns, requiring some work; others just want to maintain their area and don’t want to spend a great deal of time on it. Your only limitations are yourself. In order to be recognized as an “active” Neighborhood Watch group you must have at least two (2) meetings and one (1) activity, i.e. clean-up day, BBQ, educational program, etc. within a calendar year in your area. Someone from your area must also attend at least six (6) city-wide Neighborhood Watch meeting a year.

The role of the Neighborhood Watch Captain
A volunteer from your block must be selected to represent your block as the Block Captain. The prospective Block Captain must contact the Community Policing Unit at 840-5977 to receive information concerning the program. 

The Neighborhood Watch captain serves as the coordinator and liaison of the group. It is up to the Neighborhood Watch captain to serve as a spokesperson, schedule group activities, supply the Neighborhood Watch coordinator with required information, and coordinate neighborhood activity and communication. Likewise, the captain should:

• Maintain a list of all members Develop, maintain and distribute neighborhood maps for your area including names, addresses, and telephone numbers Set up a communication network for your area such as a telephone tree Distribute information sent out by the COPS Unit Greet new neighbors, encourage them to join, and update the neighborhood watch list
• Provide sign in sheets of Neighborhood Watch activities to the COPS Unit

How much work is involved?
This is a fair question and the answer depends on you. Some areas have major concerns, requiring some work; others just want to maintain their area and don’t want to spend a great deal of time on it. Your only limitations are yourself. In order to be recognized as an “active” Neighborhood Watch group you are requested to attend at least six (6) city-wide Neighborhood Watch meetings a year.

The role of the Members
Everyone in the Neighborhood Watch plays an important part in the success of the program! Members should learn their neighbors names and the kinds of cars they drive. They should keep a copy of the neighborhood watch map and telephone tree readily accessible. In fact, the role of individual members runs the gamut from attending meetings and being alert for suspicious activity to displaying Neighborhood Watch signs and learning to be a good witness to assist the police. Furthermore, individual members should also do a Residential Security Survey and make their homes safer and more crime resistant. But above all, being a member means getting involved. If you don’t do it, who will? Neighborhood Watch is quite simply the most effective way to reduce or prevent crime and make your area a better place to live.

Neighborhood Programs
The Columbia Police Department offers a wide variety of talks, presentations and seminars about crime prevention. Consider using these presentations for your neighborhood watch meetings. The following programs are designed for group presentation:

• Personal Safety for Women Senior SafeChild Abuse Watch Your CarChild Passenger SafetyBurglary Prevention (Home Security Check)Drug Awareness for Parents Child Safety Fire Prevention (conducted by the Columbia Fire Department)Child Identification ProgramCons and Frauds
• And many more