The Neighborhood Watchdog Looks for Specific Indicators of Progress or Problems

I heard the phrase neighborhood watchdog from someone who I suppose meant the crime prevention program with a similar name. If that's what you thought you were going to read about, don't worry, I'll get you over to that page in a second.

First, a tiny commercial for a different idea. If you're concerned about crime, you need to worry about other signs of your neighborhood decline. We're adapting the phrase neighborhood watchdog for a program that sends volunteers out on a regular schedule to check on problem properties and see if any property is developing a nuisance. On foot or by car, if your "neighborhood" is many square miles.

Oh, by the way, here's your neighborhood watch link.

Contents of the Checklist

You would be the best judge of what should be in the neighborhood watchdog checklist, but here are a number of suggestions. Choose the ones that apply to you. If you are in a city neighborhood with long blocks, use one form for each block. If you feel you'll only have a few entries in the entire neighborhood, maybe you just need one form. And if you're truly wired in, people can do this on a notebook computer.

The list below assumes the volunteer will note a general description of the condition, plus the street address or location for each situation.

• Houses or apartments needing repair

• Business buildings in poor condition

• Outdoor storage issue

• Unsightly weeds or high grass

• Trash and dumping problem

• Commercial storage appears hazardous

• Street signs missing

• Street numbering missing

• Gone out of business (Describe condition of building, existence of signs)

• Housing unit obviously vacant

• Junk car problem

• Storm drain stopped up

• Standing water inappropriate for length of time since rain

• Sewer gas, natural gas, or other unusual odors

• New construction beginning

• A major rehab

• A major relandscaping that is noteworthy

• A major business cleanup or facelift

• Foreclosure real estate signs

• Unusually high volume of homes for sale

• Traffic signal not working properly

• Traffic sign missing

• Directional sign missing

• Broken window

• Graffiti

• Vandalism

• Rat or other vector problem

• Vicious dog

• Disruptive noise or congregating (Describe day and time)

• Suspicion of drug or prostitution deals (Describe day and time)

• House or business abandoned or broken into, but not secured

• Playground equipment broken and dangerous

• Safety fencing broken down or through

What to Do with the Information Obtained

Once you've arrived at your checklist, and before the first volunteer heads out his or her door, determine where you'll report each line of your checklist. For example, some items need to be reported to the building owner, some of your local code enforcement office of your municipal government, some to the town council or selectmen if there's no code enforcement officer, and depending on circumstances, some items need to be reported to law enforcement. The noise, congregating, and likely drug deals or prostitution fall in the latter category, but unsecured buildings also may need to go to law enforcement.

Traffic signals, signs, and street signs typically are handled by a public works department. Report a rat sighting to the health department, and a vicious-acting dog or feral animals to an animal control office if you have one, or to a public health agency.

You may want to use the information about new construction, facelifts, landscaping jobs, repainting, and other positive developments to recognize achievements in your neighborhood newsletter.

If you have a graffiti removal group in your city, that's a great asset. Report that graffiti immediately. If you're on a two-month cycle, that's not nearly quickly enough; graffiti needs to be removed immediately three or four times in a row before the rascals or artists, as the case may be, decide to move elsewhere.

Appearance of what might be new hazardous materials may need to be reported to the closest office of your state environmental agency. Dumping on a commercial property that doesn't appear to be attributable to the business should be reported to the business or property owner.

Before you send your volunteers out, contact each office or agency you believe you would report the results to, and verify whether that is the appropriate place. In addition to being a great learning exercise for your neighborhood association if you don't know this information, it alerts each office to the fact that you are beginning the neighborhood watchdog program.

How Do You Handle This Need for a Neighborhood Watchdog?

And you might contact us with your local variations on this theme. I know that in St. Louis where one of us sometimes hangs out, they call this a problem properties committee. There are an infinite number of variations on this theme; share yours so we can pass on good ideas.

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