One of the best reasons to live in multi-family housing comes from the safety factor. Your neighbors stay close, the property staff monitors the area, and traffic stays low. Still, even with these safeguards, robberies and car break-ins still occur.

Fortunately, you can combat crime in your apartment community by starting a good old-fashioned neighborhood watch!

Starting a neighborhood watch takes less effort than you might think, especially in an apartment community. In fact, below we lay out a game plan to help you launch your very own watch and keep your community safer and more united!

Step 1: Make a List!

As with anything, the first place to start is to make a list of the things you are going to need. We have already done that for you below:

•  A person or group of people committed to starting a Neighborhood Watch.
•  A planning committee to initiate the program.
•  A list of what issues initially need to be addressed in your community.
•  A means of communicating with the residents, e-mail, fliers, telephone trees.
•  Publicity for the initial Neighborhood Watch meeting.
•  A meeting agenda to keep things moving and on track.
•  A place to meet-resident’s house or apartment, community center, school, library.
•  A crime prevention officer to discuss the crime issues in the neighborhood and to help train members.
•  A map of the community with spaces for names, addresses, and phone numbers of all households.
•  A sign-up sheet for those interested in becoming block or building captains for each building.
•  Brochures or other materials on topics of interest to the residents.
•  Neighborhood Watch signs to be posted around the community. Some jurisdictions require a minimum
•  Number of participants before Neighborhood Watch signs can be posted.
•  Facts about crime in your neighborhood. (These can be found in police reports, newspapers, and residents’ perception about crime. Often residents’ opinions are not supported by facts, and accurate information can reduce fear of crime.)

Step 2: Let The Residents Know It’s Coming

First, send an email or post signs around the community announcing that a neighborhood watch is forming. Next, encourage residents to sign up if they want to participate.

Step 3: Hold Your First Meeting

Once you know how many people want to be involved, choose a location and schedule your first meeting. Consider using a common area like the clubhouse, leasing office, or even an outdoor space that feels open and welcoming. Next, email the residents who signed up with the time and place, and also post signs around the community to spread the word and attract more participants. During the meeting, introduce the purpose of the neighborhood watch, explain how it will work, and invite residents to share their concerns and ideas. Finally, make sure everyone feels included and has a chance to participate, because the more voices you hear, the stronger and more effective your watch group will become.

At the first meeting you will take input from the participants about the following things:

Building (or “Block”) Captains

Frequency of meetings

Protocol for reporting suspicious behavior

Existing concerns of the residents

Step 4: Be Consistent

No matter what the level of participation your neighborhood watch group decides on, make sure that meetings are held at least every month. Often, people get very excited about things in the beginning and then taper off as interest dissipates. Therefore, regular meetings will make sure the protocols are being followed through when suspicious activity is spotted, which will help ensure your community stays as safe as possible. Additionally, new people may show up every month to replace those that don’t!

For more information on starting a neighborhood watch please visit the National Crime Prevention Council HERE.