As the Village of Winnebago continues to grow, we are also experiencing an increase in crime, which affects all of us either directly or indirectly. We can improve our crime prevention strategies by better reporting efforts and additional overall community involvement. One way to help out is to implement the Neighborhood Watch program in your neighborhood.

One of the main goals of the Neighborhood Watch program is to heighten citizen awareness of suspected or actual criminal activity and proper response(s). This is a successful program and it takes minimal effort for implementation. Although there are Neighborhood Watch signs posted throughout the Village, this program is not in full effect. To my knowledge,there hasn’t been a formalized effort to implement the Neighborhood Watch program since I have been Chief of Police. Our agency works closely with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department and they have deputies that are trained on how to best implement the Neighborhood Watch program in our area.

To get started, a time and meeting place needs to be established by you. Next, contact the Winnebago Police Department to request that an officer and a deputy from the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department attend your meeting to discuss the problems and needs in and around your neighborhood. Design a flyer or letter of invitation and make sure everyone in your neighborhood receives one. Follow up by calling or talking to your neighbors reminding them of the meeting time and place. Meetings can be as often as once a month or as infrequent as quarterly or semi-annually.

Even though our Village doesn’t experience the volume of crime that other municipalities do, I encourage this program to help reduce the amount of crime that does occur within our Village. The police department can always use that extra set of eyes and ears, especially with the growth and development of new subdivisions and businesses.

Perhaps no one will initiate a Neighborhood Watch program if you don’t. This program will allow you to get to know your
neighbors a little better while building more pride and ownership in your Village, which acts as a springboard for efforts that address other local concerns.

Contact the police department between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. at 335-2020 to let us know when and where we need to be for your first Neighborhood Watch meeting.  You may also refer to the documents below in order to get your group off
to a good start.

Starting a Neighborhood Watch
Neighborhood Watch Organizer's Guide