Neighbors Can Look Out for Each Other Through Watch ProgramBy Renee Burrell
Pinellas County Sheriff Deputy Tom Kelley works in the Crime Prevention Unit and will contribute monthly columns to the Gazette starting in July PINELLAS COUNTY - Police Departments across the country are encouraging citizens to take more interest and responsibility in crime prevention by forming neighborhood watch groups. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Neighborhood Watch is a free program that gives citizens the opportunity to fight crime within their neighborhood area. The Neighborhood Watch program requires a minimum of three volunteers to oversee your a group, namely a Chairperson, Co-Chairperson, and Communication Leader. Deputy Tom Kelley with the Sheriff's Department said, "The number of calls to form Neighborhood Watch Groups have increased throughout Pinellas County in the last year. The Pinellas Sheriff's Office encourages citizens to become part of the Neighborhood Watch Program. Even joining an existing Neighborhood Watch Program in your area would be beneficial. The best crime prevention device is a good neighborhood that watches for and reports suspicious activity. The security steps you and your neighbors take as a group are just as important as the things you do individually." The Neighborhood Watch program operates on the concept that effective crime prevention requires cooperation with law enforcement. "Neighborhood Watch is 'neighbors looking out for the welfare of their neighbors,'" said Kelley. "It is a coalition of citizens who are concerned about the neighborhood where they live and are willing to become involved in the betterment of their community. It is only by working together that we can truly be effective in our fight against crime. We in law enforcement can do a lot to prevent crime, both through intense patrol efforts and educational programs. However, all this can be ineffectual if you do not do your part to deny the criminal the opportunity to commit a crime." Kelley said county crime at present is up 9% in the unincorporated areas and contract cities. "The bulk of these crimes are mainly property related crimes such as burglary, theft and vandalism. The economy and job layoffs could be blamed for some of the increased activity - but not all. The financial support that people were receiving is gone so they are pursuing criminal activity to make up for that monetary loss. A stolen GPS system from a car or a stolen piece of jewelry from a house can be worth a lot of money if sold on the street or pawned. It should be noted that more than half of property crimes, home and car burglaries, are due to doors being left unlocked. By doing a few simple things such as keeping exterior lights on at night, making sure there are no tall bushes around your home or business where someone can hide, and keeping all of your doors locked and installing safety windows, you can turn your house and car into a tougher target." Neighborhood Watch groups make calls every day to law enforcement to report suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. If you reside in an unincorporated area of Pinellas County or any of the twelve contract cities and would like to start a Neighborhood Watch Program please call the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention Unit at (727) 582-5661. "It takes three ingredients to make a crime: desire, ability, and opportunity. Take away any ingredient and the recipe will fail; there will be no crime. Properly locked doors, neighborhood awareness, reporting suspicious persons or activity, identifying your valuables, all deprive the would-be criminal of an easy target." - Tom Kelley
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