Peoria plans to revitalize neighborhood watch
By Debbie Adlof | 2nd July 2007
Have you seen the new signs yet? They’re bright blue and white with a big eye staring out at you with the word WARNING at the top. At the bottom, it promises to watch out for crime/criminals! Wow! What’s that about? Actually, they’re the new Neighborhood Watch signs. And, the reason for the change is to improve visibility. The old signs, if you remember, were orange and black and featured “Boris the Bad Guy.” They were hard to see and too wordy and many of them faded over the years. These new signs informs those passing through your neighborhood that it has an active watch group. It’s a word of warning to would-be criminals that they’re being watched!
Back in January 2006, Officer Darrell Fuchs, community relations officer and Steve Fairbanks, the Neighborhood Development Specialist collaborated to plan for the “revitalization of neighborhood watch.”
What kind of questions to you ask yourself about your own neighborhood? Do you feel safe in your neighborhood? Are you interested in making your neighborhood feel safer? What can you, an average individual citizen, do about it?
Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program that teaches citizens techniques to reduce the risk of being victimized at home and in the public. With this program, citizens are trained on the importance of recognizing suspicious activities and how to report them and they can learn how to make their homes more secure and how to properly identify their property. Neighbors get to know each other and their routine so that anything “out of place” can be reported and investigated. It creates a cohesive body of concerned citizens that can address issues concerning the entire community.
Neighborhood Watch is NOT a vigilante force that works outside of the police, it is NOT designed for participants to take personal risks to prevent crime, and it is NOT a 100% guarantee that crime will not occur in your neighborhood.
When asked if there are statistics on Neighborhood Watches in Peoria, Steve Fairbanks, Peoria’s Neighborhood Development Specialist replied, “I have an anecdotal evidence of the changes that occur after the creation of a Neighborhood Watch. The most common and most important change reported by Neighborhood Watch leaders are the new and renewed relationships between neighbors. Neighborhood Watch organizers are motivated and excited by the positive response to Neighborhood Watch by their neighbors.”
Ideally, the Neighborhood Watch program asks for 50% participation from neighbors. But, according to Fairbanks, “It’s not a ‘deal breaker’ for applying for a Neighborhood Watch. Even having five houses out of fifteen on a block sign up is a start! Hopefully, when the unsigned neighbors see the Neighborhood Watch signs go up, and a kick-off event in their neighbor’s front yard, and the attendance by their City Council representative, city staff, and a local patrol officer, they will get involved.”
As of June 2007, twenty-five Neighborhood Watch Groups have been established in Peoria neighborhoods. And, there are two Business Watch groups. There are four groups in District 1: Greenlawn Eyes, New Town, Shelley Street, Ann Nosey Neighbors. In District 2 there are five groups: Richwoods Blvd., West Richwoods Blvd., Douglas Street Eyes, and Machin Ave. There are seven groups in the 3rd District: Arch Watch, Hillcrest St., Fairfax Addition, Corrington Ave., Ellis Street Rebels, Peoria & Gift Area 2799 Club, Republic St. There are three groups in the 4th District: No Bluffing, Nosey Rosey, Wee Watch Overhill Road. And, in District 5, there are 6 groups: Chadwick Place, Oakbrook Court Neighbors, Liberty Villas Patrol, Lynnhurst, Kellar Parkway, and Fieldsstone Estates.
The two Business Watch Groups are The Warehouse District and West main Street BW.
If you would like to see about forming a Neighborhood Watch group in your neighborhood, call Steve Fairbanks at 494-8603.