The Office of the Sheriff is actively looking for Neighborhood Watch Captains to lead Neighborhood Watch groups in the unincorporated areas. The Neighborhood Watch program is an effective community action and problem-solving program which can help resolve issues within the community.
One of the best crime prevention tools is a good neighbor. Through organized problem-solving activities, you can help remove crime from your residential or commercial area and address any community concerns. A Neighborhood Watch group consists of 12-20 or so homes that surround you.
Neighborhood Watch is simply training citizens on how to recognize and report suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. It is implementing crime prevention techniques such as home security, locks, lighting and landscaping.
It is also the identification of personal and valuable property by engraving an ID number on the property in a conspicuous location, and placing the documentation of that process in a secure place.
A Neighborhood Watch group has many benefits, both to the neighborhood and to the community as a whole. As a result of neighbors gathering together, getting to know each other, and learning crime prevention techniques, there is a lower probability of burglaries and a higher chance of catching the perpetrator(s) responsible for the crime.
There is a feeling of camaraderie — working together for the common good — and the sense of “belonging” to the community when you become a Neighborhood Watch member, not to mention the fact that you may even make a friend or two along the way!
The Neighborhood Watch Captain serves as a liaison between residents and the Sheriff’s Office. The captains recruit new members, striving for 100% participation, as well as maintaining and distributing the list of members to the group. They plan activities and meetings on various topics in which the group is interested, and invite the members to those events.
The captains also pass on crime alerts and the county newsletter to the Neighborhood Watch members. It’s that easy!
If you are interested in becoming a Neighborhood Watch Captain in your neighborhood in unincorporated Contra Costa, please contact Crime Prevention Specialist Kristina Gilbert at [email protected] or call (925) 313-2663.
