Neighborhood Watch is a national program of mutual cooperation among neighbors and police aimed at reducing crime in the community. It also incorporates programs that educate the community in how they, themselves, can help prevent residential crimes in their neighborhoods. Residents are trained to call the police department and report any and all suspicious activity in the area that they observe.

Winter Park enjoys a very successful crime prevention program involving Neighborhood Watch. Neighborhood Watch actually began in Winter Park in 1981 and was one of the first cities to institute this program. There are approximately 85 neighborhoods that are actively involved in the Neighborhood Watch program. This equates to approximately half of the residential homes within the city limits. The area that is defined for a Neighborhood Watch group is left to the individual neighborhoods. Some areas are only one block of one street while other areas encompass entire subdivisions or condominium/apartment complexes. When a group decides to form a Neighborhood Watch the neighbors contact the police department after at least 51% of all households have agreed to start a Watch area.

Each active area has at least one person classified as the Chairperson who is responsible for organizing meetings. and relaying information to members, keeping up-to-date on new residents and making an effort to involve the elderly, working parents, and young people. In accordance with the program guidelines, each active group must meet at least annually with a representative of the police department to discuss guidance and offer help in training residents in home security, crime reporting skills and for information on local crime patterns trends throughout the city in general and the specific watch group area in particular. These meetings are held in informal settings usually at a neighbor’s home or sometimes a block party is held. All active Neighborhood Watch groups have a least two (2) Neighborhood Watch signs placed at opposing locations indicating to everyone they are entering an active watch area.

A quarterly newsletter is also published by the Community Policing Unit in conjunction with Neighborhood Watch. These newsletters are mailed in bulk to each Chairperson and then it is the responsibility of the Chairperson to distribute the newsletters to their neighbors. The total number of newsletters mailed to the various groups is over 5000. In addition to crime prevention articles and tips, the newsletters contain information about upcoming events and programs being hosted by the police department.

Annual meetings are held with each specific Watch area as well as updated contact with various block Chairpersons. Free residential security surveys by trained Crime Prevention Officers are also offered to city residents. A database is utilized to track and keep records updated of current and inactive Watch areas. Also a Neighborhood Watch Hotline was established to keep residents informed of pressing crime trends in various neighborhoods in the hope of reducing that particular crime. The number for the Neighborhood Watch Hotline is (407) 599-3686.

Officer Steve McDaniel is responsible for coordinating residential crime prevention and expanding the Neighborhood Watch component of crime prevention. If you are interested in forming a Neighborhood Watch group or for more information regarding residential crime prevention, residential security surveys or any programs, you can contact Officer McDaniel at 407-599-3455 or email: smcdaniel@cityofwinterpark.org.

Services provided by the Residential Crime Prevention section include:

• Residential Security Surveys
  
• Sexual Assault Prevention Programs
  
• Street Gang Information and Presentation
  
• Bike Safety Programs
  
• Citizens Ride Along Programs
  
• Maintaining Sexual Offender Information