NCJ Number
101386
Date Published
Unknown
Length
20 pages
Annotation
The Detroit Neighborhood Watch Program, begun in 1977, significantly reduced crime and the fear of crime in the target neighborhood when compared to a control neighborhood.
Abstract
Prior to Neighborhood Watch, the neighborhood of Crary-St. Mary's experienced an increase in Part I crimes, primarily burglaries and robberies. During the program, four police crime prevention officers were assigned to develop citizen support for the Neighborhood Watch program, which emphasized crime reporting, home security, operation identification, and self-protection. Each participating block was required to have a minimum of 50-percent citizen involvement, with two meetings dedicated to crime prevention training. Out of the 155 blocks of the target area, 151 met the criteria for program participation. Over the 2 years after program implementation, total crime was down 58 percent, and burglary decreased 61 percent, compared to a 10-percent and 12.6-percent reduction in total crime and burglary respectively in the control area. A pretest and posttest administered to a sampling of 500 citizens in the target area indicate that the program reduced citizens' fear of crime and increased their involvement in home security, operation identification, and positive interaction with neighbors and police. Tabular data and the survey instrument.