Neightborhood Watch – Guidelines for Block Captains

Starting up a program for your street is surprisingly easy! Follow these simple steps:

1. Identify the Street Captain. We’ve found it is much easier and more fun if there are two!
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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!
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Contact Lead Captain to install a Neighborhood Watch sign for your street if you don’t already have one.

Guidelines once you get started:

1. Communication needs to be expedient. Check emails daily, and try to forward within a day.
2. 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.
3. Your neighbors should be calling in suspicious behavior to the LAPD, and not be calling the Captains to do so.
4. At a minimum, try to have one Neighborhood Watch meeting per year.