Recently the Wauwatosa Block Watch Program welcomed it's 600th organized block watch and a great web story was written by TosNOW staff that can be read by following this link - http://www.wauwatosanow.com/story/index.aspx?id=806903

Officer Leist and I spend alot of time conducting Block Watch and other community meetings and as he mentioned in his story regarding the 600th Block Watch we always encounter people "Afraid to bother the Police". As I have mentioned in past blogs having a person ignore or rationalize suspicious behavior is very frustrating for the Police. Often when investigating a crime we find that a suspicious person and/or vehicle was observed in the area but no call was made to the Police and if a call was made it may have prevented the crime or resulted in an arrest of the "Bad guy".

So what is suspicious? Well a person walking past our home is not, but that same person who makes several passes past the house should warrant a closer look. If that person is looking up and down driveways, into garages, windows or vehicles; that too needs a closer look by police. A vehicle driving past the house is not suspicious but if that same vehicle makes several passes the police should be notified. A strange vheicle in a driveway, sitting occupied on the street, sitting unoccupied with windows down in inclement weather and the service truck parked in an unoccupied home's driveway all should be reported to the Police.

Now this posting does not identify all the possible activities that can be suspicious but use your judgement and never be afraid or hesitant to call the Police to have them investigate, it is our job to investigate suspicious activity. I hope this helps clarify when and why we should call in suspicious things; alert neighbors are a great crime prevention tool and if we continue to look out for each other Wauwatosa will continue to be a great neighborhood to live, work and raise a family.

Calling all concerned citizens. Do you have a Block Watch program in place on your block? If you do THANKS! If not, we here at the Wauwatosa Police Department need your help. We need your help in starting up a Block Watch program on your block and being a Block Watch Captain. At no cost to you and just a little effort, you and your neighbors can help reduce the opportunity for criminals to commit crimes in your neighborhood.

What is a Block Watch? It is a crime prevention program that enlists the active participation of citizens, in cooperation with law enforcement, to reduce residential crime. You may hear it call Neighborhood Watch, Block Watch, Home Alert or Citizen Crime Watch; but they are all the same idea with the same goals in mind.

What is a Block Watch Captain asked to do?

1. We ask that you take a blank block watch map and go door to door, introduce yourself and the Block Watch Program to your neighbors and gather each household’s name, address and phone number. After you gather the information you will return it to the Wauwatosa Police Department’s Community Support Division. Once the information is entered into our database you will receive several type written copies for every neighbor’s record

1. Either you or a Co-Capitan, (Co-Capitan is not a requirement), would be asked to host an introductory Block Watch Meeting in which one or two Community Policing Officers from the Wauwatosa Police Department would come and speak to everyone attending. At the meeting we will further explain the Block Watch Program and the Police Department’s expectations. We will also address any current crime trends as well as home and personal safety and will answer any questions posed by the participants. At this meeting Block Watch signs will be distributed to all participants. If  no one wants to host a meeting, that meeting may be held here at the police department.

1. Deliver our quarterly newsletter to the Block Watch participants on your block. We will deliver a package of newsletters to your home at the time of publishing. These newsletters are chock full of information that includes crime prevention tips, crime trends and upcoming community events.

That’s it, that’s all it takes! This is a proven program with proven ideals that can help in preventing crime in your neighborhood. A strong orgnainzed neighborhood will send the criminals to a neighborhood that is not as strong and organized.