Neighborhood Watch

Is there a formal process to begin a neighborhood watch program? Are there active neighborhood watch programs active in other parts of the town? Thank you!

Laurie Terrace Res
Mar '19

I am not aware of any here in town, but there may be some.

Here is the link for resources on how to organize a watch.

https://www.nnw.org/

Or

https://www.ncpc.org/resources/home-neighborhood-safety/neighborhood-watch/


Is the crime in your area bad enough to warrant a neighborhood watch? Honest question.

Consigliere
Mar '19

A new resident has moved into the neighborhood. The police have been to house no less than half a dozen times in less than two years. The individual (unemployed) roams the street at all hours of day and night, visitors pop in and leave shortly thereafter, and according to another HL thread, the individual broke into the Shell Station and stole $1,500. Our grandchildren and children are afraid to play outside.

Laurie Terrace Res
Mar '19

Laurie - Very fair points. Definitely worth keeping an eye on the situation.

Calico696 Calico696
Mar '19

Thank you for the information Greg.

Laurie Terrace Res
Mar '19

Good idea Laurie. FWIW, we (I live in Mansfield) have a "Mansfield Neighborhood Watch" page. You could start a FB page quite easily, even just for your neighborhood.... perhaps put little flyers in everyone's mailbox to make them aware of it?

We have alot of good info on ours... when accidents close roads, when bears are spotted walking through the neighborhood, loose dogs, etc. I have found it quite helpful over the years.

JeffersonRepub JeffersonRepub
Mar '19

Have you spoken with the police about your concerns?

Hackettstown wife Hackettstown wife
Mar '19

We have a police officer that lives in the block, another police officer that is a relative and is frequently at their home on our block, a few stay at home moms & dads and we are all know about this person and are keeping an eye out for the most part. It might be a good idea to invest in security cameras especially in your garage....

H-town Mama H-town Mama
Mar '19

Hackettstown Wife, the only opportunity I had to talk to the HPD was after the resident had an altercation with a one of the many people who was living in the house at the time. Following the altercation, the resident left the house, paced up and down Laurie Terrace while talking on a cell phone, threatening to kill someone.

The HPD officer indicated that the police should be contacted for any suspicious activity.

Laurie Terrace Res
Mar '19

Get cameras. Police need proof.


You may want to check out

https://www.wyze.com/product/wyze-cam-v2/

$20 for each camera plus shipping add a $10 micro card to record 2 days in HD. They do not charge for monitoring of the equipment and will Tex you when the camera detects movement. We have cameras inside and out and like the comfort of knowing what is going on when we are not at home.

Amazon has them too.

NotIn NJ Anymore NotIn NJ Anymore
Mar '19

My cameras with night vision (one over the garage for the driveway, one on the front wall for the entrance door, one on the back to cover the pool and backyard) record to a large hard drive on my home computer through the app that comes with the cameras. It also has an app you can use on your phone to watch live from anywhere. Total cost around $50 a camera, large hard drive 4TB was $100, and no other costs ever. Hard drive can store months and months of video.


MK - what is the name of the brand of the cameras and app?

Hopeful Hopeful
Mar '19

Many years ago my family lived on Laurie Terrace...a new development ..most of us with children walking to the new Hatchery Hill School and things starting to happen in the area that concerned us asfar as the safety of our children. So, we formed a neighborhood watch program where we had a picture of a helping hand in our house windows (where that person living there was home and available for help) so if a child had distress they would run to the home with the hand in the window and receive assistance. That was way back before the cellphones and security cameras and worked out very well. I would like to think this program still exists as it not only made us parents feel more secure but our children as well.

joyful joyful
Mar '19

Get some red berets for the your neighborhood watch.

Weedwacker Weedwacker
Mar '19

I remember those hand signs in the window as a child Joyful! We had a red one if I recall on our storm door growing up.


Yes, I think they were red and white, Greg. A big red hand on a white background. Of course, anyone having such a sign in their home window, would be subjected to a background check themselves but there were "a lot" of people that participated at that time especially in the Kenwood Village area..

joyful joyful
Mar '19

Hi Hopeful, my cameras are D-Link and the app comes with the camera also D-Link. You can control your cameras through the app over web on a phone, tablet, or computer.


I have a Defender system. 8 cameras with just a one TB DVR. I can set the cameras to record 24/7 or at certain preset times or even on just motion detected. I can save snapshots or any length of recording I choose from any or all cameras if I like.

The cameras have night vision as well. I have upgraded a few cameras for better resolution. I'm looking at a PTZ (pan,tilt zoom) camera next just for fun. That can also be controlled from my phone or any device as well.

I can view live on my phone, computer, tablet, etc from any location with an internet connection.

The whole system was under $500.

It paid for itself in the second week I owned it.


Did it prevent a property loss?

What do you guys thing about managed security systems like ADT with integrated cloud storage

Skippy Skippy
Mar '19

The Wyze cam has many of the same features ie I can view the 1080p video on my iPad and iPhone live. I can hear what is going on and I can speak to who is on the other side. I can transfer the still photos and video to my iPad/iPhone. It has night vision and automatically switches when light conditions warrant it. I had them for a year with no problem, the cameras connects to your WiFi network but you need a power supply for the camera very easy to set up. They store the 12 seconds of video for 14 days in the cloud. Really a great buy for $25.

NotIn NJ Anymore NotIn NJ Anymore
Mar '19

Hackettstown Life Members, thank you for all of your suggestions and guidance. This situation has become a nightmare for any law-abiding, family-oriented homeowner. I appreciate your support!

Laurie Terrace Res
Mar '19

Thanks for the info on the systems. Hope everyone stays safe.

Hopeful Hopeful
Mar '19

Just a note. ADT will require a monthly fee for as long as you want coverage.


The home system ideas are great for all. No one asked the op though, is there concern in your area for a full watch? I'm just curious really. thanks

Yesimpc Yesimpc
Mar '19

Yesimpc read the 3rd post down..

"Is the crime in your area bad enough to warrant a neighborhood watch? Honest question.

Consigliere

JrzyGirl88 JrzyGirl88
Mar '19

Thinking about adding Simply Safe which I understand is fairly inexpensive, diy, and monthly fee basically reimbursed by insurance discounts. The fee is optional in that you don’t have to contract for service but can opt on and off at will. Anyone try this one?

I am adding cameras so thanks for the info since will probably roll my own and not tie into system.

StrangerDanger StrangerDanger
Mar '19

The idea of a classic "Neighborhood Watch" is somewhat outdated, due to modern technology. However, the concept of a local "Neighborhood Information Page" (such as JeffersonRepub mentioned) can be helpful, for a lot of reasons. (But note that it can also have its negative sides, like causing paranoia over insignificant things.)

As some have mentioned, these days, cameras are the answer. They don't directly prevent crime, obviously, but they serve several anti-crime functions. They can provide evidence of committed crimes, and when the knowledge spreads that criminals were prosecuted due to cameras in a particular area, it serves to deter future crimes. And even when cameras don't provide direct evidence of a crime (such as only showing a person wearing a ski mask breaking into a home), police can often use other video footage to track down the criminal, such as another camera showing him getting into a car two blocks away.

So perhaps, instead of a typical "neighborhood watch," neighbors could get together to discuss how they could all install quality camera systems that will cover key areas of the neighborhood, as well as how to properly use footage obtained from those cameras.

JerseyWolf JerseyWolf
Mar '19

Sorry - but who in the world can find time in the day/week to do a Neighborhood watch?! I struggle to find time to get to the grocery store, dry cleaner, or do any other 'adulting' thing I need to. With technology these days, who needs a actual 'watch program'. Not to mention, what exactly is a 'Neighbored Watch' going to do....are you going to run after the person - probably not.

Again...
Mar '19

I think both cameras and a neighborhood watch are good.

Yes, cameras will show suspicious activity, but can’t help protect a person being attacked or robbed. A neighborhood watcher can call the police right away and/or assist the victim. For example: If someone is walking down the street and they feel they are in danger (being followed) they can at least take refuge at a neighborhood watcher’s home before the police arrive.

Growing up, my mom always told me to look for the hand in the window if I felt I was in danger.

Positive Positive
Mar '19

Camera's are ok. Guns are better they usually are the ultimate deterrent.


But Don, unless you have a monster truck with 6 wheels, truck nuts, a confederate flag and a gun rack parked out front, how would anyone know you own one until its too late?

Not a deterrent. Cameras can be, if they can be seen. But too many people try to hide their cameras. Cameras don't help people in the situation and a gun won't help someone else if you're sleeping with your favorite beretta under your pillow.

Also, if you see a crime in progress, unless there are no other options - seriously - don't use your gun. Call the police. You risk your own life, and those around, not to mention getting sued by the criminal and/or their family. If you're unsure what may constitute a situation where you believe you should step in, I would strongly recommend talking with your local police department - they are trained professionals.

Stranger, I run my own camera with a simple SD card, there's plenty of ways to do it yourself.
But for you and anyone else, if you are REALLY concerned, use a camera with a cloud subscription AND a local backup. Should someone be really motivated to cause harm, cutting your internet kills most cameras, and breaking in they can smash a camera and/or storage device. Using both local and cloud storage isn't foolproof, but it makes it more likely that a more sophisticated attacker would be caught on camera.

Cameras are cheap enough most people can afford at least a basic camera. They can help prevent crime (At least from happening to you/your neighbors), they can catch criminals in the act and lead to their arrest and prosecution, and they can protect you in the case of accused wrongdoing (Like if neighborhood watch preforms a citizens arrest on a suspected party). Plus they can protect your good from a lazy delivery person, help find lost pets, and can capture funny moments.

One really great thing a neighbor watch page/forum can do is alert people when they should check their cameras. Most cameras replace old footage, so if you don't find out about a problem within a couple of days, your footage may have been overwritten.

One note for cloud cameras. Make sure your internet can handle is, both in bandwidth (how much of your speed its using to upload when it is uploading) and your bandwidth cap (How many GB you can use in a month). This is one reason Net Neutrality is important and bandwidth caps are bad: Comcast offers a home security system and they can "zero-rate" their camera's data, while some systems that record 24/7, or have enough activity, will eat up your entire 1TB bandwidth allowance in a month. Comcast charges $50 a month for unlimited data, but as of right now, I do not believe they enforce a 1TB limit in NJ - but they could choose to at any time. Just something to consider when looking at any camera system that records to the cloud.

alpha1beta alpha1beta
Mar '19

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