You’re leaving for work one day and notice an unfamiliar car with occupants parked on your street. You slow down to see if you recognize the people, but and then continue your commute. You rationalize that it is someone who probably has a reason to be in the area and go about your day. Later on you learn that your neighbor’s home was broken into, and you try to recall any details about the unfamiliar car that you saw that morning. You ask yourself “what should I do if this happens again”?

With recent notices going out to our communities that there has been an uptick in burglaries, neighbors and residents are wondering what can be done to protect themselves from becoming a crime statistic or victim of burglary.

We reached out to San Diego Police Officer Julie Dragt, Community Relations Officer for Carmel Mountain, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos, Sabre Springs, and San Pasqual for her advice on organizing a Neighborhood Watch program.

• Find a core group of 5 – 7 residents in the area who want to organize a Neighborhood Watch.
• Contact the Community Relations Officer (CRO) for your area and set up an informational meeting with the interested residents.
• Its helpful to involve the CRO because they can determine if a Watch program is already active in your area or if you are the first.
• The CRO will explain the program and help you get started.

The participation of residents in cooperation with law enforcement has been demonstrated to reduce crime, solve problems, and improve the quality of life in our communities. Here are links to help you get started:

https://www.sandiego.gov/police/community/neighborhood-watch

https://www.sandiego.gov/police/contact/community-relations-officers

April 2023