Neighborhood watches are going digital, and as the community comes online, rallying for crime-prevention becomes easier. The Boston Globe looks at communities around the US that have fully utilized Twitter and blogs to organize. Telephone chains first moved to email list-servs and basic message boards, but the instant response of more recent forms of communication now allows for quicker police action. Beyond concerned phone calls, many police departments offer the ability for concerned neighbors to be trained in their legal rights and intervention limits as private citizens.
The National Sheriffs’ Association website now has about 20,000 block watch groups registered, four times the amount registered four years ago. The new technologies used by these motivated communities allows for better communication and coordination with the police, making a significant dent in crime.
Image credit: Getty Images/ David Schalliol, Flickr
The Boston Globe reports on the growing trend for technology driven community patrols,
It’s unclear whether block watch groups make residents safer, but research shows more cohesive neighborhoods are linked to lower crime, says Robert Sampson, a Harvard University sociology professor.
“I think the real question is what kind of community does one want to live in,” he says.
Four years ago, when the Old Oaks block watch was in its infancy, the crack of gunshots could be heard frequently in the neighborhood of brick homes with front porches on the outskirts of a crime-ridden part of Columbus. Now the streets are quieter, and crime mostly amounts to break-ins.
Residents gather weekly for what’s called Wednesdays on the Porch, when they drink beer and trade the latest crime rumors. Block watch members also communicate almost daily via a Yahoo! group, e-mail listserv and telephone chain.
Boston Globe: Neighbors Twitter, Blog to Keep Criminals at Bay
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
Reddit
StumbleUpon
