Sandra Everett-Autry, the crime prevention specialist for the Fayetteville Police Department, made a pitch on the importance of community watch groups and how they help prevent crime during the City Council’s work session on Tuesday evening.
The city has 165 active community watch groups, Everett-Autry said.
The groups are an important component of the Police Department’s push to partner with the public on safety and reducing crime, she said.
“Ready for this one. Yeah,” Councilman D.J. Haire said at the outset.
Everett-Autry discussed how community watch groups are established.
“The common terminology that we use is community watch group — a group of people living in the same area who want to make their neighborhood safer by taking ownership of the community,” she said. “Sometimes, they’re called neighborhood watch groups, and they are an organized group of civilians devoted to crime and vandalism prevention. …
“The ultimate goal is to achieve safer communities by working together with local law enforcement to reduce the risk of crime and improve their quality of life,” Everett-Autry said.
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Criminals often look for easy targets or easy opportunities. When those are reduced, the potential for crime is reduced, she said.
Groups create a sense of security, she told the council. The groups share information with the Crime Prevention Unit of the Police Department.
“A lot of times, it reduces the fear of crime in neighborhoods,” she said. “Being a part of a community watch can be beneficial to the citizens due to the increased awareness of the activities happening in the area, often resulting in reducing fear in the community.”
Community watch enables neighbors to look out for one another, Everett-Autry said.
“A bonding with your neighbor can provide a sense of calmness. I often tell my groups to get to know those who are adjacent to you in your neighborhood, to look out for each other and to report activity that is happening in the neighborhood.”
Residents should pay attention to and report activity that doesn’t seem normal for the neighborhood, she said.
“When citizens are self-empowered, they have a sense that they have the ability to change their circumstances,” she said. “Community watch groups are not vigilantes, and we tell them they should not be political in nature.”
The members of individual groups define the goals, she said.
“It’s their group. The Police Department is just there to assist with their effort. When criminals see that you care about your community or neighborhood, they’re less likely to commit a crime.”
To be recognized as an active crime watch group by the Police Department, its members must meet at least once a year.
Councilman Haire, who applauded the crime prevention team, asked how many people it takes to start a community watch. Everett-Autry said there is no particular number.
“We have some groups that meet and there’s only a couple of people that meet, but they’re concerned about their neighborhood,” she said. “And they want to change that.”
To start a community watch group, neighbors need a program initiation plan, a list of initial concerns or interests, a meeting agenda, a meeting location, and a map of the proposed coverage area, according to the Police Department.
The Police Department offers a guide on its website called “Community Watch Coordinator’s Guide.”
Go to information on crime prevention programs or call the Crime Prevention Unit at 910-433-1033, 910-433-1034 or 910-433-1134 for more on community watch.
Michael Futch covers Fayetteville and education for CityView. He can be reached at mfutch@cityviewnc.com.
