Starting up a program for your street is surprisingly easy! Follow these simple steps:
- Identify the Street Captain. We’ve found it is much easier and more fun if there are two!
- Set up a meeting date a few weeks in advance with your Senior Lead Officer Rob Benavidez. His phone number is 818.634.0978, and his e mail is 32151@lapd.lacity.org The most convenient times for Rob are Monday and Tuesday evenings. You’ll probably want to do this in a neighbor’s home. Also advise Steve Hampar or Janice Eaton, the Lead Captains, at 818.687.4915 or 818.795.0808.
- Once the date and location is established, you will want to drop off or mail a letter to all your neighbors inviting them to the meeting. See sample letter attached.
- At the meeting you will want to have a sign in sheet for the neighbors for their contact information. (See sample attached) These meetings are fun because you will surely meet neighbors you never knew existed!
- Rob will spend about an hour talking about Neighborhood Watch and how it works. It will be interactive because there will be a lot of questions and discussion from neighbors.
- Make an excel spreadsheet contact list from the sign in sheet. (see sample attached). We suggest you also email the contact list to all your neighbors.
- Some Captains have found it easiest to set up an email distribution list so all communications are done by e mail. You will also be passing on e mail communications to your neighbors when you receive them.
- Contact Lead Captain to install a Neighborhood Watch sign for your street if you don’t already have one.
Guidelines once you get started:
- Communication needs to be expedient. Check emails daily, and try to forward within a day.
- Continue to add neighbors to your email list. Neighbors on your list should be on your street. If you have a friend on another street direct them to the Captain for that street.
- Your neighbors should be calling in suspicious behavior to the LAPD, and not be calling the Captains to do so.
- At a minimum, try to have one Neighborhood Watch meeting per year.