NCJ Number
185418
Journal
Sheriff Volume: 52 Issue: 5 Dated: September-October 2000 Pages: 10-12
Date Published
2000
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article profiles the features of the National Neighborhood Watch Program (NNWP), which was organized in 1972 by the National Sheriffs' Association.
Abstract
This was done in response to many requests from sheriffs and police chiefs for a crime prevention program that would involve community residents and address the increasing number of burglaries being committed in rural and suburban residential areas. The NNWP is a basic crime prevention program that emphasizes education and common sense. It teaches citizens how to help themselves through target hardening and other home security techniques. It also teaches citizens how to identify and report suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. NNWP gives citizens an opportunity to contribute to the well-being of their community, and it has helped to make citizens aware of the role they can play in making their neighborhoods safer. The program emphasizes cooperation between community residents and the police, so that neighborhood problems are identified and addressed through planning and the exchange of information.