How to Join Neighborhood Watch
If you are interested in becoming active in your block’s existing Watch Group, or perhaps in starting and chartering a new Watch Group for your block, here you will find everything you need to get started.
Download a printable copy of the application procedure HERE.
To Join an Existing Watch Group
Forms You Will Need
Application Procedure
- Meet with the Watch Captain for your immediate neighborhood. He/she will explain anything you need to know about the functioning of that individual Watch Group.
- If you decide you want to join that Group, download and complete the Individual Application and give it to your Watch Captain. He/she will sign the application and deliver it to the Co-op officers for processing,
| See also “Starting and Maintaining Your Watch Group” |
To Start and Charter a New Watch Group
Forms You Will Need
- Application for Watch Group Charter
- Individual Application for each member of your new Watch Group
Procedure
- Talk to your neighbors and spark their interest. Try to get the majority of your neighbors to participate. Typically your Watch Group area should not exceed two or three blocks at most. For a larger area, you should divide into multiple groups of not more area than three block each.
- Contact any one of our officers or Parkersburg Police Department representatives and set up a date and place for a meeting (church, school, or residence).
- Invite all interested neighbors.
At the meeting …
- A representative from the Neighborhood Watch Co-op and/or the Police Department will attend and bring handouts.
- Talk about crime prevention and specific neighborhood problems (usually a group doesn’t progress from here until a problem is identified).
- Pass out Neighborhood Watch brochures on home security and Neighborhood Watch window stickers (the Co-op representative will provide these).
- The Co-op or police representative will explain the purpose and function of the Neighborhood Watch program.
- Select a captain and at least one co-captain (or lieutenant), depending upon the number of people in your proposed group; you should have at least one co-captain for each five to seven residences represented.
- Those who are still interested in forming the Group should each complete an Individual Application.
- Select a name for your Group that is representative of the geographical area included; this will typically be the name of the subdivision or major road in your area. (The Co-op representative will help with this.) Your Captain should complete the Application for Watch Group Charter, and include on the group application the names of everyone submitting an Individual Application. All applications (group and individual) should be given to the representative for delivery to the officers for processing.
- Establish a telephone tree. All neighbors write down their name, address, and phone numbers for the captain and each co-captain. If your Watch area is larger than a single block, your should have a co-captain responsible for overseeing each block in your Watch area. The captain and each co-captain should be responsible for a specified portion of your entire roster.
- Select places for the city to erect Neighborhood Watch signs. There should be a sign at each access point into your Watch area.
- Establish a schedule for regular meetings of your Watch Group.
- Discuss what you would like to talk about in future meetings (home security, fire safety, personal safety, juvenile problems).
If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call anyone on our Contact Us page.