Neighborhood Watch

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What is a Neighborhood Watch?

Neighborhood Watch focuses on informing the community how to discourage, deter and prevent crimes such as burglary, auto theft, car break-ins, and crimes against persons, which often occur in residential areas.

The Pomona Police Department's Crime Prevention Unit has provided Neighborhood Watch presentations to neighborhood groups for nearly 30 years. Although crime trends have changed since the 1970's, the basic principle behind Neighborhood Watch remains the same; to bring communities together with the police to achieve the common goal of preventing crime.

How do I join a Neighborhood Watch?

1) If you'd like to start your own Neighborhood Watch, please fill out the interest form at the bottom of the page. Please note, groups must have a minimum of 10 members to fulfill the requirements of a Neighborhood Watch Group. Members must agree to be part of the group and participate in group events.

2) Contact a Community Service Officer who will look to see if there is an existing Neighborhood Watch group in your area. If there is one established, they will give your information to the Block Captain to contact you.

Community Programs Unit: 909-620-2318

What if My Area Doesn’t Have a Neighborhood Watch Group?

The Pomona Police Department will help you establish a Neighborhood Watch group. The Community Service Officer who represents the area of Pomona in which you live will work with you to understand the process and help you get started. At least ten members are required to start a Neighborhood Watch group. Most meetings are held in a members home or at a neighborhood facility.

What happens at the meeting?

Neighborhood Watch is an opportunity to meet face-to-face with representatives of your police department to discuss and work to solve problems in your community, or to keep the problems from starting in the first place!

Through this positive, pro-active program, you will learn facts about:

Duties of various units within the Pomona Police Department
Crime trends in your area and how to prevent them
How to react to suspicious or criminal activity
Recommended home security steps

Did You Know...

That most residential burglaries occur during daylight hours?
How burglars can tell at a glance which homes are easy targets?
What to do if you see a suspicious person on your street?
Why personal property which has been engraved with a California driver's license number is less likely to be stolen?
That crime rates in Neighborhood Watch communities can be greatly reduced through the simple, common sense measures you can learn by attending Neighborhood Watch meeting?

It begins with a meeting...and ends with a safer neighborhood.

Neighborhood Watch Interest Form

There are several steps that must be completed in order to establish a Neighborhood Watch group. To start, a group of citizens must come together and agree to participate in a Neighborhood Watch group within their community. After organizing the group of citizens, they must then determine what geographical location the group will be servicing. Generally, the group services the community in which they live in. After the group is in place a, “Block Coordinator,” needs to be identified. The Block Coordinator will be the liaison between the Neighborhood Watch group and the Police Department. The Block Coordinator will then need to complete the Neighborhood Watch Program Application, which is provided by the Pomona Police Department Community Programs division. A Community Services Officer (CSO) will then take the application and remain in contact with the Block Coordinator to ensure all of the requirements are fulfilled for the new group. Once the application has been approved, the newly established Neighborhood Watch group will need to meet at least one time and have a minimum of 10 members having attended the meeting. This will fulfill the requirements to activate a Neighborhood Watch Group.

Once the activation requirements have been fulfilled, the Pomona Police Department Community Service Officer will work with the Block Coordinator to coordinate the installation of the signs within their specific community. Once a Neighborhood Watch group has been established, they must fulfill 3 requirements throughout the calendar year to remain active in the program.

1) The group must meet a minimum of once a year,
2) The Block Coordinator, or representative must attend an Area Commander meeting each year
3) Attend a minimum of one community event a year.

These guidelines will ensure that the group remains active. Additionally, CSO’s can be invited to the Neighborhood Watch meeting to provide any additional training or information pertinent to the specific group.

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