Olmsted County Official Website > Sheriff's Office > Divisions > Law Enforcement Center > Crime Prevention > Neighborhood Watch

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Sheriff's Office

Address:

101 4th St SE
Rochester, MN 55904

Phone:

507 328-6800

Fax:

507 328-6781

Email:

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Hours:

Lobby:
8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Monday - Friday
Emergency: 24 hours

Neighborhood Watch

What is Neighborhood Watch?

Neighborhood Watch programs have not only been proven effective in the fight against crime, but they have served to improve the well being of the entire community. The Neighborhood Watch program will be beneficial to your area as well. First we need to understand what Neighborhood Watch is and what it is not.

Neighborhood Watch is a Crime Prevention Program that:

Teaches citizens techniques to reduce the risk of being victimized at home or in public.
Trains citizens on the importance of recognizing suspicious activities and how to report them.
Teaches participants how to make their homes more secure.
Teaches citizens how to mark their property to properly identify it.
Allows neighbors to get to know each other and their routines so that any out of place activity can be recognized, reported and investigated.
Develops a cohesive body of concerned citizens addressing issues concerning the entire community.

Neighborhood Watch is not!

A vigilante force working outside the normal procedures of law enforcement.
A program designed for participants to take personal risks to prevent crime.
A 100% guarantee that crime will not occur in your neighborhood, or that you will never be victimized.

What are the benefits of Neighborhood Watch?

One of the many rewards to you and your family will be a greater sense of security, well being, and reduce the fear of crime in your community. It will create a greater "sense of community" and put the "neighbor" back into neighborhood. It brings law enforcement and the community together as a team working to reduce crime in your area.

Reducing the risk of being a crime victim: The risk is reduced because participants are taught how to take preventative measures that substantially decrease the likelihood of becoming a crime victim. Law enforcement agencies report that not only does Neighborhood Watch reduce the risk of your home being burglarized, but the instances of other crimes such as vandalism, personal assault, and fraud also decrease.
Being better prepared to respond to a suspicious activity: Part of the neighborhood Watch program is training on how to report suspicious activities occurring in your neighborhood and what law enforcement officers need when a crime is being reported.
Greater access to criminal activity information: Neighborhood Watch programs are designed to keep participants informed of crime trends and patterns so they will be better prepared to spot any crime activity and stop it in their neighborhood.
Receiving a Neighborhood Watch sign to post in your area: Criminals know that if a neighborhood has a Neighborhood Watch sign posted, that neighborhood is not an easy target. Citizens have taken the necessary steps to deter crime in their neighborhood and are probably being observed. Convicted burglars have reported avoiding neighborhoods that have these signs posted.
Knowing your neighbors: Neighborhood Watch promotes getting to know your neighbors and their regular patterns so that each of you will be able to report any activity that doesn't fit with regular schedules. This means that when you are away you can feel more secure about your property.
Reducing the fear of crime and making your neighborhood more livable: Neighborhood Watch increases the number of arrests and convictions by serving as a network for law enforcement and the community to communicate effectively about crime activities in their community.
Allowing other issues of concern to the community as a whole to be addressed: Once crime has been addressed and the fear of crime has been reduced, Neighborhood Watch participants can move on to other issues that concern the community as a whole. Some of these issues are Fire Prevention, First Aid, City/County Planning, or whatever the group feels a need to address.

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Olmsted County provides secure email boxes for members of the public to submit emails about confidential issues including, but not limited to, child and adult protection reports, criminal activity and public health concerns. Please use these secure email boxes for these types of issues. Olmsted County disclaims all liability for unauthorized use and dissemination of confidential information if members of the public submit emails about confidential issues using the regular unsecured county departmental email boxes.