Golden Valley Wants Your Thoughts on Neighborhood Watch Program

Information provided by the City of Golden Valley:

The City of Golden Valley is asking citizens for ideas about how to make its Neighborhood Watch program better than ever. To offer ideas for improvements, residents have until Sept 14 to participate in this 10-question Golden Valley Neighborhood Watch Community Survey. 

About Neighborhood Watch

Neighborhood Watch helps the Golden Valley Police Department inform citizens about local crime trends, criminals, and how to respond to suspicious behavior, and encourages better communication among neighbors.

This enables people to recognize suspicious activity in their neighborhoods and report it by calling 911, giving police a chance to check out what may or may not be a crime and perhaps prevent a criminal from making another victim. Neighborhood Watch also gives the GVPD the opportunity to answer questions and learn about concerns so it can better serve the community.

But over the last few years there has been a drop in residents’ participation, says Joanne Paul, crime analyst.

“Neighborhood Watch is one of the oldest and most effective crime prevention tools there is,” Paul says. “A few years ago, we interviewed a prolific burglar who said that if someone in a neighborhood made eye contact with him, he would leave and go to a new location.”

Simple, cooperative vigilance and an ongoing dialogue with the police department makes a huge difference, Paul adds. So improving and rejuvenating the Neighborhood Watch program should be a high priority for everyone.