Neighborhood Watch is 40 Years Old

Forty years ago, the National Sheriffs’ Association launched the Neighborhood Watch program. The mission of Neighborhood Watch is to outline ways that citizens can change the probability of criminal activity occurring in their communities. While crime rates are influenced by many factors not under the direct control of citizens, a scientific study conducted in 2006 associated Neighborhood Watch programs with a 16 percent reduction in crime in participating U.S. cities.  Today, as municipalities strain to pay for basic services, interest in volunteer crime prevention programs is timely and significant.  

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 Oakdale Chief of Police Lester Jenkins agreed that Neighborhood Watch is effective and pointed to events around a recent break-in as an example.  Alert Oakdale residents “saw a man carrying a big-screen TV to a waiting vehicle and reported the license plate number of that vehicle” to the police.  Chief Jenkins stressed that community-based crime prevention efforts focus on “citizen observation and reports of suspicious activity, not on direct intervention by citizens.” 

Anti-graffiti and neighborhood cleanup efforts strengthen the effectiveness of programs like Neighborhood Watch.  Litter, graffiti, and minor disturbances of the peace make law-abiding citizens feel uneasy in public places, but they may also encourage more serious law breaking.  This idea forms the basis of a crime prevention strategy developed in the 1980s known as the “broken windows” theory.  In its simplest form, the theory suggests that unrepaired broken windows in a community quickly lead to more vandalism and an eventual downward spiral toward more serious crime.  The “broken windows” theory became a keystone of successful crime reduction programs in New York, Los Angeles, and other urban areas.

Since that time, researchers across the globe have tested whether the visibility of minor violations in communities impact the capacity to deter crime. For example, one study conducted in 2008 found that the number of people willing to steal a packet of money that they found doubled when the experimental conditions included the addition of graffiti or litter.  

Research on gang-affiliated offenders suggests that the most influential deterrent to the criminal activity of juvenile members of gangs is the certainty of getting caught.  Neighborhood Watch programs may contribute to criminals’ perception that they will be apprehended because trained observers are present in a neighborhood at all times. 

Establishing a Neighborhood Watch program requires enthusiasm, planning, strong implementation, and patience.  Mike Hancock, who coordinates Oakdale’s Neighborhood Watch program, said that “motivated and organized volunteers are key” to program success. Just as interest in PTA membership peaks at the start of school, an uptick of criminal activity naturally generates heightened interest in programs like Neighborhood Watch.  But when participation in “watch programs” falls off, studies have found that criminals take notice and illegal activities quickly resume.  

            For more information about Oakdale’s crime prevention programs, contact Mike Hancock at 209-848-1200 or Chief Jenkins 209-847-2231.