Neighborhood Watch an important deterrent to crime

Don’t think for one moment that the existence of Neighborhood Watch programs took a hit as a result of the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida. If anything, the concept received some major enlightenment, irrespective of that tragic loss of life.

If you have a Neighborhood Watch program, then you know how it keeps a close eye on what’s going on in your midst, including who might be slowly cruising up and down your street in search of a likely target or who might be knocking on your door trying to double-talk his way into your home.

And if you don’t have a Neighborhood Watch in your corner of Summerlin, then shame on you. It’s a program that’s designed to protect you, your family and your home from invasion by some predator with the ultimate goal of robbery or even bodily harm.

No, we’re not dealing with paranoia; nor is it a form of Big Brotherism that might be sweeping your neighborhood. To put it into its broadest perspective, Neighborhood Watch is reality! It is a well-conceived and time-tested program intended to save you from property loss or worse.

When you live in a mainstream such as Summerlin, where con artists of every dimension arise each day at least an hour before you, so that by the time you have awoken he has figured out how to take advantage of you, then Neighborhood Watch is not only realistic, it is an absolute necessity.

And if you have any doubts, or if you care to debate the issue, then you want to meet crime prevention specialist Kathy Perkins, who administers more than 620 Neighborhood Watch programs in Summerlin and surrounding areas. Indeed, she’s been doing it for more than 20 years.

"In all my years of involvement with Neighborhood Watch, I never heard of any violent actions ever occurring," said Perkins, who works out of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Northwest Area Command, 9850 W. Cheyenne Ave.

"Neighborhood Watch is not about violence, or racist implications, or vigilantism. It’s about restraint. Neighborhood Watch programs prevent crime."

The reasoning is simple enough. We are long past the days when police officers walked neighborhood beats to see to it that all is well. We would need a huge army of cops to bring back that practice of yesteryear.

So the next best thing is Neighborhood Watch, where residents see to it that all is well in their respective neighborhoods. And that’s where Perkins enters the scene, especially for those of us in Summerlin.

One of the strongest proponents of Neighborhood Watch as a means of drastically reducing crime, Perkins will travel anywhere and meet with anyone within the 103 square miles of the Northwest Area Command to help establish such a program.

"One basic purpose of Neighborhood Watch is to observe and report," Perkins said, referring to all residents as the eyes and ears of their community. "People should want to know what’s going on in their neighborhood. By doing that we’re certainly not encouraging violence or confrontation."

Perkins explained that each program is normally made up of a block captain and anywhere from 10 to 30 participants. "Every group acts on its own, although we provide the guidance. The result is that residents can feel reasonably secure," Perkins said.

"You can’t protect everything all the time," she acknowledged, pointing to crimes that are bound to occur. But Neighborhood Watch concentrates on some of the more sensible ways of avoiding a crime, such as guarding against mail theft.

"Collect your mail as soon as it is delivered. Be sure to place outgoing mail, and especially checks and personal information, in a secure mailbox," Perkins said. "Many residents are very trusting. We try to warn folks. Unfortunately, too often people don’t think. The result sometimes is that a robbery to your person is so much more eventful than a property crime. Neighborhood Watch groups do help."

To request information, contact Perkins at 828-4305.

Herb Jaffe was an op-ed columnist and investigative reporter for most of his 39 years at the Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. His newest novel, "All For Nothing," is now available. Contact him at hjaffe@cox.net.