“Concerned citizens that get involved make a difference in making the world a
better place.”
(registration is at the bottom of this page)
Neighborhood Watch Program
Neighborhood Watch is a program for the citizens, run by citizen. It is a proactive
approach to reducing crime, focusing on the residents of each neighborhood working
together in cooperation with the Flower Mound Police Department. Citizens are the
“eyes and ears” of the community, and the Neighborhood Watch is dependent upon
citizen involvement and cooperation. Neighborhood Watch can be a very effective
program, but it depends on the residents of Flower Mound to maintain and make the
program work.
Very simply, Neighborhood Watch involves:
• Neighbors getting to know each other and working together in a program of
mutual assistance.
• Educating neighbors to be more alert in recognizing suspicious activities and
taking the appropriate actions.
• Implementing other crime deterrents.
The citizens of Flower Mound can play a major role in the reduction of residential crimes
through their active participation in Neighborhood Watch. If you’re a potential victim of
crime- and you certainly are- then you are a potential member of the Neighborhood
Watch Program.
“Concerned citizens that get involved make a difference in making the world a
better place.”
Neighborhood Watch operates under two principles:
• Know your neighbors
• Report suspicious activity
The basic idea is for neighbors to watch out for each other. By looking after a neighbor’s
property as if it were your own, you will more likely contact the police if you observe
something suspicious. Citizens act as extra “eyes and ears” for the police department so
that calls to the police will be made when criminal activity is suspected.
Many neighborhoods suffering from high crime rates have their own apathy to blame,
since a neglected residential area’s very appearance invites criminals. Fragile doors,
open garages, unlocked doors and windows, dilapidated fences, overgrown yards, littered
sidewalks, unmarked residences, and dark streets and alleys proclaim that inhabitants
have delegated responsibility entirely to police. However, criminals know that patrol
officers cannot be everywhere at once, and calculating risks carefully, they know that
their easiest targets lie in areas unwatched by citizens. The best deterrent to residential
crime is neighbors who care, as numerous ofNeighborhood Watch areas are proving.
FLOWER MOUND POLICE
• Pass on information to your Coordinator that is important to your neighborhood.
• Help you get your neighborhood organized.
• Attend your organizational meetings.
• Assist with block meetings.
COORDINATOR
• Lead the area ofthe Neighborhood Watch toward full participation in program.
• Provide Block Captains with tools and means to make the program effective.
• Coordinate activities between the Crime Prevention Officer at the Police
Department and the Block Captains and residents.
BLOCK CAPTAINS
• Pass on the information received from the Coordinator to the individual
residential households.
• Prepare and maintain a map with their residents’ names, addresses, and telephone
numbers.
• Meet with their residents on an annual basis (a Crime Prevention Officer must be
present at the meeting or it may be a block party)
• Notify the Coordinator if they are no longer able to perform Block Captain duties.
NEIGHBORS
• Your responsibility as a Neighborhood Watch Neighbor is to be a good neighbor
by watching out for one another’s’ property and by reporting suspicious activity
to the police.
The good neighbor principal also involves getting to know your neighbor. You should
know the three neighbors across the street from your home, one each side, and the three
neighbors behind your residence. Through this acquaintance, you, the neighbor, then
become aware if suspicious activity is occurring and report it immediately to the police.
(Each citizen can be assured that when they report suspicious activity, their name will be
held in strictest confidence.)
Neighborhood Watch Goals
As a Neighborhood Watch program is initiated within a neighborhood, planners and
coordinators should attempt to accomplish three goals:
1. Participation by a minimum of 50% of homes in the Watch area.
2. Reduce criminal victimization of participating residents by 50%.
3. Increase reporting of crimes in progress by 200%.
Guidelines for Neighborhood Watch Area
New Neighborhood Watch Requirements:
• Hold an initial meeting with as many residents as possible from the neighborhood.
• A Crime Prevention Officer must attend.
• Outline area ofNeighborhood Watch.
• Obtain 50% participation of residents with Watch area.
• Coordinate with Police Department to get signs installed at entrances to the Watch
area once all other requirements are met.
Establish Crime Watch Area
• Must have an annual meeting with Crime Prevention Officer present.
• Annually update block captain list and submit to Crime Prevention Officer.
• Maintain 50% participation among residents.
Organizing a Neighborhood Watch Program
A Neighborhood Watch is an organization of concerned citizens working together as
good neighbors to reduce the crime in their neighborhood. Neighborhood Watch
programs take many forms, but in all cases, organizing by blocks is the cornerstone of all
citizens’ crime prevention programs.
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEMBER
HOW TO REPORT A CRIME OR SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY:
(MOST IMPORTANT) EMERGENCY CALLS 9-1-1
(IMPORTANT) NON-EMERGENCY CALLS (972) 539-0525
• YourName
• Your Address
• Stay on the line until police have all information
REMEMBER:
• Nature of Incident
• Location of Occurrence
• Description of Offender( s)
• Nature of Injuries
• Method of Escape (vehicle, walking, running)
• Direction of Travel. If a vehicle is involved, get the
license plate and description, if possible.
More than 7 million residential burglaries are committed annually – one every 10
seconds. With this in mind, closer cooperation between the police and the citizens they
serve is a must. The Neighborhood Watch Program can plan an important role in the
future of our communities.
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH INSI’RUCfiONS
An alert and cooperative neighborhood is the greatest single defense against crime. By getting to know
your neighbors and their vehicles, suspicious people, vehicles and/or sounds will alert you to the possibility
of criminal activity. Promptly reported to the police, your alert cooperation may save a neighbor from the
trauma of burglary, vandalism or assault.
Please fill out this form in cooperation with your neighbors.
