Block watch: Neighbors help reduce crime

MOSES LAKE - Imagine a neighborhood where almost every home has a live-in surveillance system and crime is steadily plummeting.

Dennis Haw and more than 50 of his neighbors created such a place in their corner of southwest Moses Lake after creating what is now the city's largest block watch program.

"We've seen a tremendous decrease in crime," Haw said, noting that the neighborhood had just one break-in last year, an incident where the burglar was quickly arrested after being caught in the act.

Things weren't always this good. Soon after Haw and his wife first moved here about three years ago there was a rash of burglaries in the area, he said.

"Nobody knew anybody," he said of the neighborhood. "I got to thinking, we're so isolated from the main part of town, we need to get everybody here involved all the way down the street."

Taking up the mantle of block watch captain, Haw eventually convinced about two thirds of his neighbors to band together for better security against burglary, vehicle prowling and other crimes.

Moses Lake currently has about 15 active block watches like Haw's, grassroots groups of neighbors dedicated to watching out for each other and reporting any suspicious incidents to law enforcement.

While statistical analyses of community policing programs conducted in the U.S. and the U.K. have differed over the years, a 2008 report conducted for the U.S. Department of Justice concluded that, "across all eligible studies combined, Neighborhood Watch was associated with a reduction in crime."

Moses Lake Police Specialist Bob Carpenter, who was tasked with resurrecting the city's block watch program three years ago, said he doesn't need to look at numbers to be convinced of the programs' effectiveness - he's seen it firsthand in neighborhoods like Haw's.

"Crime has just gone down to zero in his area," he said. "He's really got a strong program."

And success stories aren't limited to one vicinity, Carpenter said, noting crime rates dropped dramatically last year in other block watch neighborhoods throughout the city.

He's currently working to introduce the program to more Moses Lake neighborhoods, such as South Beaumont Drive, where there have been dozens of residential break-ins and vehicle prowls in recent months.

"We've established a block watch there and are just waiting for the signs to come in," he said.

Carpenter said starting a new block watch is fairly simple, consisting primarily of giving him a call to arrange an initial meeting and canvassing the neighborhood to hand out invitations. He then distributes information and takes charge of the meeting after introductions are complete.

"The amazing thing is when you have a meeting, with 20-25 people, is how few of them actually know each other," he said. "Ten or 15 years ago you bought a house and your neighbors came over and introduced themselves. Now they don't - they'd rather come down to the police station and run a background check on you to see where you're at."

Haw has seen several examples of how community policing efforts can bring people together. In the past two decades he headed up three distinct neighborhood watches while living in various California neighborhoods.

"Block watch is simply about neighbors getting to know neighbors - that's what the whole thing is," Haw said. "The more you know what's going on in your neighborhood the better it is for everybody."

In his role as block watch captain, Haw gathers information on anyone interested in signing up, including an emergency contact in case there is a situation while they're out of town. He also welcomes new people to the area and encourages everyone to get to know each other, especially their immediate neighbors.

The duties take up very little time and mainly consist of acting as a conduit for any information or incidents reported by his neighbors, he said.

"If we have a homeowner that has spotted something going on in the area - a suspicious car, suspicious activity - I pass it out to everyone on our block watch list and they keep their eyes open," he said.

His email list includes about two-thirds of his neighbors along with members of the Moses Lake Police Department, who take note of any unusual activity and use it to help them track suspects.

Haw said his neighborhood's success with the block watch program can easily translate to other locales.

"If our neighbor is standing out there cutting their grass and they turn around and stop and look at a vehicle coming down the street, the (potential criminal) is going to think twice about coming back because these neighbors are looking out for each other," he said. "It's that simple, just bring a few neighbors in and get a program started."

For more information on forming a block watch program call Bob Carpenter at 509-764-3914 or send him an email at rcarpenter@ci.moses-lake.wa.us.