Organize a Neighborhood Watch meeting
Neighborhood Watch meetings bring people together to share information and get to know each other.
Need to know
- Meetings can be in-person or virtual
- They are organized by the block captain
- A member of the police department attends
- Some groups meet more frequently, some only once or twice per year
Before you start
Neighborhood Watch meetings give a group of neighbors an opportunity to meet members of the police department. They provides a space for open dialogue to:
- Discuss and work to solve problems in the neighborhood
- Prevent further criminal activity
Steps
1. Contact the police department.
We can help pick a date for the meeting, create an agenda, and provide informational material. A member of the police department will attend the meeting and can help you run it.
Send us an email to get started.
2. Find a location.
You can hold your meeting at someone’s home or outdoors at a cul-de-sac or nearby park. You can also use a virtual option, like Zoom, but in-person meetings are usually more effective.
3. Notify your group members.
Let your group members know about the meeting. The easiest way is to send everyone an email with the time and location. For members who don’t use email, you may need to call them.
4. Create an agenda.
An agenda makes the meeting easy to run. We can help you create one based on the topics your group is interested in.
What’s next
Make sure to leave some time for people to socialize and get to know each other informally.
It’s helpful to use meetings to make sure you have everyone’s current contact information and to provide any new materials, like updated phone trees.
Some optional things to consider for your meeting:
- Name tags
- Sign in sheet
- Snacks and beverages
Get help