Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program that relies on concerned citizens in communities throughout the United States to learn how to properly and successfully watch out for their communities and their neighbors' property, thereby reducing criminal activity. Our Barrington community has had a relatively active Neighborhood Watch program since the neighborhood was created some 15 years ago, because our residents care about the safety and security of our community. Our Neighborhood Watch program is run in conjunction with the Crime Prevention Office of the West Springfield Station of the Fairfax County Police Department.
· Aid police departments in reducing residential burgulary, thefts of property, vandalism, traffic-related offenses, and other criminal activities.
· Educate citizens on crime prevention techniques which improve ability to remove and reduce opportunities for criminals to act.
· Alert criminals that residents are concerned about crime and will call when suspicious activities are observed.
· Enhance reporting of suspicious activity in communities, thereby reducing the number of crimes committed.
· Encourage residents to interact with each other, thereby increasing awareness of which community activities are routine and which are suspicious.
Our Neighborhood Watch program consists of a Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, Block Captains and Patrollers. Our program has been operating under the 'zone' system for over a year and it is proving to be very successful. Under this system, Barrington is divided into 12 zones, each with approximately 40 contiguous homes. Each zone has a Block Captain and is responsible to watch the community for one month each year. Each zone should ideally have 10 patrollers, who would share the patrolling responsibilities for their assigned month.
Our Neighborhood Watch Coordinator serves as liaison between the Police Department's Crime Prevention Officer and the Block Captains. The coordinator is responsible for disseminating information from the police to the block captains. The coordinator maintains a master list of all watch members and works with block captains to develop successful patrols based on current criminal activity. This position also attends police district coordinator's meetings scheduled by the crime prevention office to keep current with criminal activities, challenges and successes in other local communities.
Our Block Captains serve as liaisons between the coordinator and the residents. The block captains recruit new watch members and maintain a current list of watch patrollers. The block captains coordinate patrol assignments for their designated month. They may also assist the coordinator in planning and conducting patroller training sessions, community events and activities.
Our Patrollers serve as watchful eyes for our community. They should attend a training session for new participants to ensure a safe and successful program. Typically, they are responsible for patrolling the entire community with a partner for one week each year. Patrols can be conducted by walking or driving throughout the community and recording and reporting any suspicious or criminal activity. For this program to be successful, we need approximately 10 residents from each zone to be patrollers, or approximately 120 residents total. We currently have approximately 100 patrollers throughout the neighborhood. This is a wonderful show of support for the program and its ideals, but we obviously still need more patrollers.
Watching out for your neighbors can be accomplished in a variety of ways. One is, of course, to be a part of the Neighborhood Watch program. You can also be a great help to our community by reporting suspicious or criminal activities that you may witness through passive observation or window watching.
There are many avenues in Fairfax County for reporting suspicious or criminal activities. They are all useful tools for protecting our community from future nuisance or criminal activity. The police have set up these avenues to allow citizens to record and report information that can help them more successfully protect our communities. The numbers and websites are as follows:
Call 911 Immediately
To report a crime in progress and/or a life-threatening situation when a police officer and/or other emergency service is needed.
Call 703-691-2131
To report a crime that has already taken place, or a suspicious person or activity, use this non-emergency reporting number for the Fairfax County Police Department. Use this method if you want to speak with or see a police officer.
Call 703-922-7938Or go toFairfax County Policy Emergency Site
To report a crime that has already taken place, or a suspicious person or activity, call this automated reporting line or use this link to file a non-emergency police report with the Fairfax County Police Department. Use this method if you do not need to speak with or see a police officer.
Go to Fairfax County Traffic Safety Site
To report aggressive driving or an unbuckled child, file an online report. The form is simple: you report the license plate number, the date you witnessed the incident, and a few other details. The owners of the vehicle will receive an informational letter asking them to obey Virginia's safety laws.
Below are some Fairfax County government links with useful information: