Neighborhood Watch Guide

What is Neighborhood Watch?

Neighborhood watch is a crime prevention program, which enlists the active participation of community members in partnership with the police department to reduce crime in their neighborhood.

It involves:

• Neighbors getting to know each other, taking the time to care about each other and working together in a program of mutual assistance.
• Community members being trained to recognize and report suspicious activities in the their neighborhoods.
• Prevention strategies such as home security, Operation Identification and others being implemented by community members.

You may hear it called Neighborhood Watch, Home Alert, Crime Watch or Block Watch. The names differ, but the idea is the same: Neighbors looking out for each other!

Why Neighborhood Watch?

• There can't be an officer on every block so community involvement is essential to combat crime.
• You and your neighbors are the ones who really know what is going on in your community.
• By cooperating with each other and the police, people can help fight crime in their community in the most effective way - before it begins!
• Neighborhood Watch members place stickers in their windows and Neighborhood Watch signs on the streets, warning criminals that they are in an active Neighborhood Watch Community, and that "neighbors are watching out for each other".
• Get to know some of the officers working your area
• Learn:
  • How to prevent burglaries, auto theft, assaults, elder abuse.
  • Safety strategies for: children, women, disabled and the traveling public
  • How to be the eyes and ears of the police
  • How to report a crime and give descriptions
  • How to assist in a police investigation

Register your Security Camera:

• Have you ever wanted to help with investigations in your community? The Petaluma Police Department is launching a new program called the Security Camera Registry Program. This is a completely voluntary program where you can register your home or business security cameras so in the event officers need surveillance footage they know who to contact in the area.
  • Police NEVER have access to your camera feed or equipment.
  • It’s ALWAYS voluntary to provide footage
  • Police will ONLY contact you if it is believed that your camera may have captured relevant footage

  Register HERE.