ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Neighborhood Watch is a proven and effective national program, based on neighbors working together and with law enforcement to curtail crime. In Rancho Palos Verdes, those neighborhoods that have an active program have seen a dramatic drop in crime. We encourage those residents and neighborhoods that do not currently belong to the program to join. The following provides more information on our program.

HOW DO I CONTACT YOU DIRECTLY? Residents of the City may contact us by phone at 377-0360 during City business hours, or by using the E-mail shortcut at the end of this page. You will get a faster response through E-mail.

HOW DOES NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH WORK? We organize neighborhoods at the block level so that neighbors help and protect each other. Neighbors report all suspicious activities to the Sheriff's Department, warn each other about crime activity through our telephone and e-mail network, and mutually watch out for each other.

WHO RUNS THE PROGRAM? The program is run by volunteers, including a Volunteer Coordinator who manages the overall program, Area Coordinators, Block Captains and their assistants. All of these people are dedicated and hard working, and it is they who make the program an outstanding success.

WHAT DOES THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT DO? The Sheriff's Department is actively involved in the program. It provides deputies to assist in organizing neighborhoods at the block level and to attend neighborhood meetings to discuss crime trends and crime protection, initiates crime alerts that are networked to the City residents, and responds to specific issues raised by members of Neighborhood Watch.

WHAT DOES THE CITY DO? Rancho Palos Verdest strongly supports this program and its role in making this one of the safest cities in the state by providing a number of administrative services to assist Neighborhood Watch.

DOES THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT THINK THE PROGRAM IS USEFUL TO LAW ENFORCEMENT? Definitely! Click HERE to see their endorsement.

WHO PAYS THE PROGRAM'S EXPENSES? The program is financed entirely by voluntary contributions. No City outlays are required, except for the efforts of City staff members who support the program.

HOW IS THE PROGRAM ORGANIZED? The program has three levels.

• The Volunteer Coordinator provides liaison with the City and Sheriff's Department, provides resources to help organize at the neighborhood levels, initiates the dissemination of crime alerts and other information important to the residents, issues a newsletter three times a year, and provides other support for the leaders at the neighborhood levels.

• The area level is made up of Area Coordinators who are responsible for coordinating the activites and disseminating information to the block organizations.

• The block level consists of the residents in groups of 15 to 40 homes. Each block is headed by a Block Captain who, with the help of several assistants, is responsible for holding the block organization together and disseminating information to the residents.

HOW DO I JOIN? Send us an e-mail. You can use the shortcut below. If your block is already in Neighborhood Watch, we'll let you know how to contact your Block Captain and get involved. If it is not, we'll discuss with you how you and your neighbors can organize your block.

E-mail Neighborhood Watch
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