Neighborhood Watch
The National Sheriffs’ Association created the National NEIGHBORHOOD
WATCH Program in 1972, with financial assistance
from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, to unite law
enforcement agencies, private organizations, and individual citizens
in a massive effort to reduce residential crime. A work plan
emerged for use by sheriffs, police, and citizens for putting
together local neighborhood-based programs. Since its establishment,
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH has developed thousands of such
local residential crime prevention programs in which individual
citizens work to 1) make their own homes and families less
inviting targets for crime, and 2) cooperate with law enforcement
through block and neighborhood groups to control crime throughout
the community.
