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Enhancing Homeland Security
Locally
Attorney General John Ashcroft has
called for a rebirth of Neighborhood Watch programs across the country as a way of
augmenting the fight against terrorism. In keeping with the request of the Attorney
General, the San Luis Obispo Police Department provides hard copy Neighborhood Watch
posters in our lobby that contain all the information needed to begin and maintain your
own Neighborhood Watch program. Now the two-sided poster is available
on-line so you can download the information and get started right
away.
How do I
start?
You have the choice to download the mini poster (at the bottom of
this page) and review the material on the back. The success of Neighborhood Watch is
simple: get to know your neighbors! Start with your house as the center and then begin
by calling or visiting your neighbors around you.
- Tell your neighbors you want to
start a Neighborhood Watch program and set a date and time to meet at your house.
Begin simply by choosing those neighbors who can be identified and
fill in their
information in the blanks on the poster's reverse side.
- If your printer cannot reproduce
the poster in sufficient size, go to the lobby of the Police Department and obtain
the correct amount of posters. Sorry, the poster is too large to be mailed.
- Invite your neighbors in and
complete the posters together. This allows you to meet new people, share concerns,
and follow the easy guidelines on the back of the poster for calling police.
- Display your poster in a window visible from the street. This tells everyone that you care about your
community and that you will alert authorities about suspicious behavior.
- One person may be designated as a
Block Captain. This person helps by supplying posters to new people who move into
the neighborhood and makes sure poster information is kept current.
OK, I got my
posters done, now what?
You run this program! The San Luis Obispo Police Department provides crime prevention
tips in the Crime Prevention section of our website under
Prints
& Posters. Go to the Prints & Posters section and download the one page
handouts on whatever item meets your neighborhoods need then distribute them to your
group. Everything from burglary to blight prevention is available to you on this
website, along with our helpful links to law enforcement sites
and the National Crime Prevention Council’s
Citizens’
Preparedness Guide.
What if I
have questions?
Simply call the Office of Neighborhood Services in the Operations Division of the Police
Department at 805.781.7186 and ask! We will be happy to provide support. Now the rest is
up to you.
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