Crime Prevention Commissioners Want More OF Neighborhood Watch Groups

In t's Fieldcrest neighborhood, residents seem to have gotten the hang of looking out for each other.

The city's Crime Prevention Commission would like more neighborhoods to do the same — and commissioners said as much during their regular meeting Wednesday, June 20.

There was no action taken because there was no quorum present, but commissioners all agreed that they want to duplicate the efforts of the Fieldcrest Neighborhood Watch, which has been in place since 1994.

"People watch out for the two [houses] on either side of them," said Commissioner Janelle Mitzner, who is also a resident of Fieldcrest. "You get to know your neighbors."

The neighborhood watch in Fieldcrest was formed two years before the commission was even established, she said. The group, which is part of the National Neighborhood Watch Institute, started after a rash of burglaries in the area in the mid-1990s. 

Though Mitzner doesn't have specific statistics, she said crime in the area appeared to decrease after the group became active.

For Commissioner Sandi Czyznikiewicz, the fact that area crime didn't increase is enough.

"When you have an active neighborhood watch and there's no significant increase in crime, that says the watch is working," she explained.

Czyznikiewicz and the other commissioners are concerned that the number of foreclosed houses in the area will lead to ever-increasing burglaries of vacant houses.

"And that costs us all," she said, "in terms of insurance premiums."

Commissioners are brainstorming about how to get the word out about citywide neighborhood watch meetings, such as the most recent one in January that drew about 42 people.

Commissioners Jim Watson and Jim Richmond, Jr. also agreed that residents concerned about whether the group requires a big time commitment should know that a watch group is simply keeping an eye on the area and calling police if necessary.

"It's about neighbors being aware," Richmond said. And they should remember, "If it makes you look twice, call."

In other business, commissioners discussed their participation in the upcoming Relay for Life on Friday, June 22 and finalizing plans for the Tuesday, Aug. 7 National Night Out event.

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