Neighborhood Watch

Want a safer neighborhood?  Old North Knoxville  is actively working through an organized Neighborhood Watch Program to address any problems that crop up, with the help of Knoxville Police Department (KPD) and Mayor Haslam.  

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.

Old North Knoxville is part of the East District patrolled by the KPD.  Their telephone number is 215-1201.

Pete Creel is coordinating the program for Old North Knoxville, and may be reached by or 522-4391. The following people are the 2005 Neighborhood Watch Captains:  

• Nancy Hugh 300 Block of E. Oklahoma 522-5428
• Nathaniel Powell 200 Block of E. Oklahoma 522-9606
• Marcus Phelps 300-400 Block of W. Glenwood Avenue 637-5204
• Lauren Rider 100-200 Block E. Scott Avenue 524-4267
• Tom Brechko 500 Block E. Scott Avenue 522-0103
• Pete Creel  700 Block of E. Scott Avenue 522-4391
• Christy Morgan 1500 block of North 4th Avenue 936-0601
• Randall Parker 900 block of Irwin Street 300-5335

Background Information on Our Neighborhood Watch Program

Rena and Greg Webb led the effort to revitalize this program in the summer of 2001, and worked extensively with the KPD in improving communication among officers assigned to the Central District and Old North Knoxville. Thanks to these mobilization efforts, we have made great strides in reducing the crime rate to one of the lowest in the entire city!  Granted, we are not to the point where we can just sit back and relax, but our Neighborhood Watch Program serves as an ongoing tool to maintain and improve the safety of Old North Knoxville. We can be proud of the success of this program, and the fact that we have served as a model for other neighborhoods to begin their own programs. 

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), fifty percent of all burglaries nationwide are 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.  Leave lights on when you leave home. If you have a security system, use it.  Finally, owning a dog, even more than owning a gun, is the best home defense against break ins.  

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 taking note 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. 

Remember, communicating with your neighbors is one of the best things you can do for your neighborhood.