The following article is the first installment on Community Safety by Travis County Sheriff Outreach Deputy James Kitchens.
Neighborhood Crime Prevention: A Joint Responsibility
The prevention of crime – particularly crime involving residential neighborhoods – is a responsibility that must be shared equally by law enforcement and private citizens. The fact is, the impact on crime prevention by law enforcement alone is minimal when compared with the power of private citizens working with law enforcement and with each other. NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH is based on this concept of cooperation, and nationwide statistics prove that it works. When citizens take positive steps to secure their own property and neighbors learn how to report suspicious activity around their homes, burglary and related offenses decrease dramatically.
Neighborhood Watch programs develop citizen awareness and proper response to suspected or actual criminal activity. Deputy Kitchens has prepared guidelines on a number of topics. You can find them in the drop down box of this tab.
Law enforcement officers are available to meet with individual Neighborhood Watch Groups and train members on a variety of topics, including: home security measures; recognizing suspicious activity; describing and reporting events, vehicles and persons; telephone security; and confrontation with intruders. For more information about setting up a Neighborhood Watch in your area, contact Debby Thompson at 656-0654 or deborah_thompson@earthlink.net or Tom Cheshire at 913-3144, tcheshire@wellsbrancmud.com.
Deputy Kitchens is also available for detailed security inspections of your home. He may be reached at 854-8413 or james.kitchens@co.travis.tx.us .
Watch for upcoming safety seminars by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office hosted by the Wells Branch Neighborhood Association. Check our website under events for updates.