The six-year-old Neighborhood Watch program in Maryland’s Willow Creek community is a model of what a Neighborhood Watch program should look like, said resident Milton Kendall.
“What I see around me is that Neighborhood Watch has gone to nothing but signs, but I warned our community: We don’t want to have only signs, we want to have some meat in it,” he said. Kendall and his wife, Franchella, started the Clinton community’s program in 2003.
At least three-quarters of the Willow Creek community’s residents participate in the program, which is the minimum a community needs to be officially recognized as a Neighborhood Watch by Prince George’s County. In 2003, Kendall went door to door searching for enough block captains to have one per street. Now, they have two to three on each street.
Kendall, who functions as the program’s coordinator, also controls the e-mail listing for the neighborhood. When a resident reports suspicious activity or a crime nearby, everyone on Kendall’s list receives an e-mail.
A main component of Neighborhood Watch is visibility, Kendall said. When the watch started, the program had its own vehicle with a light on top that volunteer residents would drive through the neighborhood.
Residents on several occasions have spotted and reported suspicious vehicles in the community, which ended up being stolen, Kendall said.
“I think it’s really important for every resident possible to be involved because it sends strong signals when would-be criminals are on the prowl.”
