Neighborly Neighbors Support Security

There are all kinds of ways to keep a community safe.  Many, however, require the participation of residents and neighbors to be successful.  Community watch comes to mind quickly, as well as giving support to the local authorities.  Some your support takes the form of relaying suspiciaous activity, or it could include voting in a new millage to maintain the force. 

But on a smaller scale, a little bit of cooperation can keep the bad guys out of your community.  Here are a few ways to involve the neighbors:

1. If you are away for any length of time, arrange to have your lawn mowed, or the snow removed from the drive and walk ways.  Be the neighbor that performs these tasks for some else from time to time.  Especially if there are abandonned or unoccupied buildings on the block.  No one needs to have squatters in the neighborhood and keeping the property up will tend to deter vandalism and other deviant behavior.

2. If your neighbor has an extra vehicle, ask if they'd mind parking it in your driveway while you are gone. 

3. Ask a neighbor to pick up the random papers and leaflets that are left on your property.  Some one might assume that if there are a few days worth of advertising laying around that no one is home, thus making it a target.

4.  Temporarily stop the mail and the papers.  The post office will hold your mail until your return if you ask.  This could also be collected by a helpful neighbor.

5.  Trash day can also indicate a home that is not currently occupied.  If possible, a neighborly neighbor might be convinced to put one of their cans in front of your empty home, or you might put one of your trash cans in front of a vacant property.

Lots of light is often an effective deterrent, and anything that makes a place look lived in and cared for will help avoid criminal activity at a vacant or otherwise empty home.

If you are planning to start a community watch in your area, a fantastic outline for such an endeavor is to be found at http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/node/17501  This is one of the most thorough "how to" articles I've seen concerning setting up a new community watch program.