Neighborhood Watch

Want a safer neighborhood? Want to see fewer crimes, fewer prostitutes, fewer drug problems? Then come to the Fourth Presbyterian Church this Thursday, May 17^th, at 7 p.m. in order to begin forming at least one and maybe more Neighborhood Watches in Old North Knoxville. Fourth Presbyterian Church is located at the corner of Glenwood and Broadway.

For those who have any misgivings about participating in a Neighborhood Watch, here are some facts to keep in mind.

A Neighborhood Watch will:

• Prevent crime,
• Instill a sense of security, and
• Instill a sense of community.

A Neighborhood Watch is not:

• A vigilante force working outside the law, or
• A program designed for participants to take risks.

The main goals of a Neighborhood Watch are:

• To know your neighbors,
• To encourage the reporting of suspicious activity to the police (no member of a Neighborhood Watch is ever to take direct action), and
• To make your home and car as difficult to break into as possible.

Making your home and car as difficult to break into as possible is known as “target hardening.” According to Officer Phil Garland of the Knoxville Police Department (KPD), in the United States last year, fifty percent of all burglaries were through unlocked doors. Therefore, one of the easiest things you can do is to never leave your doors and windows unlocked, even when at home.  Also, leave lights on when you leave home. If you have a security system, use it.  If your thinking of getting a dog, great.  Owning a dog, even more than owning a gun, is the best home defense against break ins.  The size of the dog or the size of the bark are not as important as owning a dog.

Another part of target hardening is getting to know your neighbors and then keeping an eye out for suspicious activity. This does not mean spying on your neighbors.  It does mean keeping a log of anything you think is suspicious and reporting it to the police. The easiest way to decide if something is suspicious is by getting to know your immediate neighbors, those who live immediately across the street from you, to your left and right, and behind you. This opens up communication, with both your neighbors and with the police. Part of the goal of the meeting this Thursday is to meet with some of your neighbors.

Other goals of this meeting are to establish boundaries for the neighborhood watch or watches, elect officers, and to meet with officers from KPD who patrol Old North Knoxville. You can let the officers know what your concerns are and what you have seen.

If you see something suspicious, here are three numbers you can use:

• 911 – This is for emergencies.  Exactly what is an emergency can sometimes be a matter or instinct or intuition.
• 215-4010 – This is for non-emergencies.  If you notice a suspicious car that keeps coming through the neighborhood at the same time every day or parking in front of a vacant lot, you need to report this to the police.  
• 215-7212 – This is the anonymous crime hotline. There is no caller ID on this line. The police do not know who is calling. Use this if you have information that will help the police.

If you do use the 911 number or 215-4010 and you don’t want the police to come by your home, let the operator know when you call.

Come to the meeting this Thursday, May 17^th at 7 p.m. at the Fourth Presbyterian Church to meet some of your neighbors, some of the police that patrol Old North Knoxville, and to sign up to be part of the solution to achieving a safer neighborhood.