Volunteers are in the process of installing new Neighborhood Watch signs around West Plaza that warn, “We report suspicious activity. We call 9-1-1.” In the past few weeks, Joe Montanari, Steven Dirks, and Joe Padilla braved the soaring temperatures to take down old, rusty crime watch signs and post shiny new ones.
The West Plaza Neighborhood Association newsletter just hit the streets, and it tells the story of the new Neighborhood Watch signs that are going up there. Here’s the story.
A Neighborhood Watch program works through the mutual aid of neighbors watching out for each other. If your neighbors know who you are, what type of car you drive, and who is normally at your residence, they can call 9-1-1 when appropriate to report suspicious activity. A patrol officer driving by your home might not recognize someone at your front door as a stranger. An alert neighbor can.
Neighborhood Watch does not promote vigilantism; it recommends only that you become the “eyes and ears” of your block. Members of Neighborhood Watch groups are never asked to put themselves in harm’s way to prevent crime. They observe and report suspicious activities to the Police Department by calling 9-1-1. This leaves the responsibility for confronting and apprehending criminals with your Kansas City police officers.
If you have a “nosy neighbor,” you should take them a treat ever so often and thank them for watching out for you and the block. And you can return the favor by becoming a nosy neighbor yourself and watching out for them, as well.
The Neighborhood Watch program can be the most effective crime prevention program there is. If you want to learn more, call Master Patrol Officer Jim Schriever, Central Patrol Division, 816-719-8350.
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