The St. Joseph Police Department is trying to increase awareness of neighborhood watch groups and said participation is up.
Sgt Roy Hoskins took over the Crime Prevention Unit in January. He said he has tried to increase the number of people involved in neighborhood watch groups and has already seen a positive response.
“We’re slowly increasing the numbers of how many we have and the attendance in just the past two months,” Hoskins said. “Safety is not always crime numbers, it’s a perception of safety. If people feel like they have a strong sense of community and they’re actively participating in crime prevention with the police it makes you feel safer.”
The department is also trying to increase the number of groups in St. Joseph.
“We have nine active groups right now and we have several that have become inactive over time,” Hoskins said. “I actually have one on Wilshire Drive that we’re getting ready to start up for the first time so they’ll have a brand new group which will put us up to 10.”
Hoskins said over the past several months the department has increased awareness of groups by using social media, Nixle Alerts, and NextDoor, a private social media network for neighborhoods.
“I post for the neighborhood watch groups, I post where they’re having them and the time. Then the next day I post a follow up,” Hoskins said. “I get a lot more responses on the social media sites asking about things.”
With the weather warming up Hoskins said he expects attendance to increase even more. He said there are many reasons to take part in a watch group.
“So they can learn who their neighbors are and if they have any concerns about thefts or prowlers or anything like that that they can share with each other. It’s also a way to get information directly to me,” Hoskins said. “It’s not only an exchange of information between the residents in the neighborhood but also a direct link to me and the police department.”
He said anyone interested in getting involved in a watch group can contact him directly, (816) 236-1473.