The Real Pros and Cons of Starting a Neighborhood Watch

When thieves started stealing catalytic converters from Corey English’s community, his neighborhood watch group’s observations helped police launch a successful sting operation. Theirs is just one of many success stories from the more than 25,000 watch groups in the United Sates. However, some neighborhood watch groups backfire and actually make their communities less safe.

“I’ve seen cases turn into neighbor-on-neighbor encounters, when good-intentioned people take matters into their own hands instead of calling law enforcement,” says personal injury attorney Joshua Branch. “Assault charges and civil lawsuits are no joke when things escalate poorly.”

If you’re interested in starting a neighborhood watch, it’s vital to properly train members. Here’s more about the pros and cons of neighborhood watches, plus best practices for setting them up for success.

What Is a Neighborhood Watch?

A neighborhood watch is a group of residents who work together to help prevent crime by monitoring and reporting suspicious activities to local law enforcement.

“When they’re run with care, consistency and respect, neighborhood watches work,” says English, who is a veteran of the security industry. “Crime decreases, communication improves and trust grows. But more than anything, people feel connected.”

Are Neighborhood Watches Legal Everywhere?

Mostly, but regulations vary from state to state and city to city. In general, as long as the group’s actions are limited to observing and reporting, they are legal.

“Residents can always observe what’s happening around them and call for help,” says English. “What they cannot do is stop people, detain them or use force. The moment a watch crosses into that territory, it stops being legal and starts becoming dangerous.”

Pros and Cons of Neighborhood Watch?

Pros

• Improved neighborhood safety
• Community trust and cooperation
• Better neighborhood communication

Cons

• Discrimination
• Vigilantism
• Physical harm
• Legal liabilities, especially from excessive use of force, battery and false imprisonment.

“Poorly run neighborhood watches can cause real harm,” says English, especially if they’re led by people trying to play hero or who are driven by fear. “Innocent people can be unfairly targeted. A watch should make everyone safer, not make people feel watched.”

How to Start a Neighborhood Watch

• Speak to your neighbors to gauge their interest.
• Choose a coordinator.
• Choose a block captain (or leader) with experience in law enforcement, or someone who’s lived in the neighborhood for years. “They recognize patterns, routines and subtle changes,” says English.
• Meet with local police to obtain guidance on legal boundaries, training, and best practices.
• Invite community members to a meeting to inform them and include them in the watch.
• Continue to meet consistently, like on the first Monday of the month, but not too often to burn people out.
• Continue coordinating with the police and, ideally, with the local government.
• Keep community members involved to promote inclusion. A small neighborhood newsletter is a good way to keep everyone informed, says English.
• Choose communication tools, such as group texts, email lists or neighborhood apps, like Citizen.

“And it’s not just about crime,” says English. “We talk about everyday quality-of-life issues, too, like burned-out streetlights, broken sprinkler heads, graffiti and even skunks and coyotes. These things affect how safe and livable a neighborhood feels, and when they’re shared, they get addressed faster.”

Training Best Practices for Neighborhood Watch

Training is essential for everyone’s safety. That includes emphasizing the cardinal rules: “Observe, don’t engage. Report, don’t pursue,” says English. Training should also include how to:

• Be observant and understand what truly suspicious behavior looks like.
• Document what’s seen in detail.
• Record notes in a statistics log that is shared with the police.
• Know when to call 911 vs. the non-emergency line.
• Avoid letting fear or bias drive decisions.
• Understand and explicitly stay within legal boundaries.

“It’s easy to accidentally cross that delicate line between being watchful and becoming a vigilante, and no confrontation is ever worth the criminal charges or lawsuit that will potentially follow,” says Branch. “Blocking someone in, following them too closely, touching them or making threats can result in legal liability.”

FAQ

Do neighborhood watches need to coordinate with the police?

Yes. Coordinating with the police is critical for everyone’s safety, and it reduces liability issues, establishes a clear channel of communication and increases the likelihood that watch reports will be taken seriously, says Branch.

Can renters start or lead a watch?

Yes, but it’s a good idea for renters to coordinate with property management or owners, to let them know what they’re doing. “Safety isn’t tied to homeownership,” says English. “It’s tied to caring about where you live.”

How effective are neighborhood watches actually?

When members of the watch are active and diligent with reporting unusual occurrences, they can be very effective. “Criminals tend to avoid neighborhoods where people pay attention,” says English. Plus, “Communication improves, neighbors feel connected instead of isolated and small issues get flagged before they grow into serious problems.”

On the flip side, “If it’s a group set up under the pretense of being a neighborhood watch who are just vigilantes patrolling the streets, this can actually be a detriment to the program,” says Marcus Skeen, a security solutions expert.

For more information on neighborhood watches, consult the National Neighborhood Watch organization.

About the Experts

• Corey English is a 28-year veteran of the security industry and serves as senior vice president of strategic relations for GSG Protective Services. He is also actively involved in his local neighborhood watch.
• Joshua Branch is the founder and personal injury attorney at the Law Offices of Joshua W. Branch, where he focuses on public safety and crime prevention.
• Marcus Skeen is CEO of WGS Group, which specializes in security solutions in California and Nevada. He has over 20 years of experience in the security industry.

Sources

• Robert Tsigler is the founder and lead attorney of the Law Offices of Robert Tsigler PLLC.

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