What is Neighborhood Watch? 

Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program enlisting the active participation of residents in cooperation with the Bremerton Police Department to reduce the incidence and fear of crime in their communities. It involves neighbors getting to know each other to develop a program of mutual assistance. It involves neighbors being educated in crime reporting and suspect identification techniques. It also involves neighbors using crime prevention strategies as tools to reduce crime in their communities. Residents provide each other with mutual support to maintain safe and healthy neighborhoods. Neighborhood Watch is basically a program where neighbors watch out for neighbors.

Neighborhood Watch programs can aid in preventing crime in our community. It relies on the best crime fighting tool ever invented, a good neighbor. Fortunately, good neighbors are found everywhere. They live in houses, apartment buildings, urban, suburban, and rural areas. The City of Bremerton’s Neighborhood Watch Program unites the Police Department with our neighborhoods in a community-wide effort to reduce residential crime. Neighbors working together with the Bremerton Police Department are a formidable crime fighting team. Be a good neighbor and make your community safer by starting a Neighborhood Watch Program

How Do I Start a Neighborhood Watch? 

The Bremerton Police Department Community Resource Specialist will assist you in starting a program in your neighborhood. The Community Resource Specialist will be available for your first meeting to assist with the initial organization of the Neighborhood Watch Program and discuss crime concerns specific to your neighborhood or community. Talk to your neighbors. Are they interested? Do they understand the value of a Neighborhood Watch Program? Are they aware of, or concerned about specific crime problems in your area?

If they are, be sure to mention the following: 

• Neighborhood Watch is a partnership between neighbors to assist the Bremerton Police Department in the reduction and fear of crime; 
• Neighborhood Watch does not require frequent meetings; 
• Neighborhood Watch does not ask anyone to take personal risks to prevent crime; 
• The Bremerton Police Department can attend your meetings to answer questions about crime and provide information about police procedures and crime prevention.

If you would like more information about starting a Neighborhood Watch program in your neighborhood or to find out if there is an existing program in your neighborhood, call 360-473-5231.