The Redlands Police Department encourages residents to be partners with police in protecting their property and their public safety. Forming a Neighborhood Watch is one of the most effective ways residents can help the police and one another.
Neighborhood Watch, a national community-based, crime prevention program that started in 1972, encourages neighbors to commit to act as the public safety “eyes and ears” in their neighborhood. Any residential community can set up a Neighborhood Watch by identifying leaders within their neighborhood, collecting and sharing contact information, and maintaining ongoing communication with other residents. The program encourages teamwork among residents to protect one another and reduce crime in their neighborhood in cooperation with the Police Department.
Neighborhood Watch meetings teach residents how to recognize suspicious activities and contact Police Dispatch to report something. Residents are discouraged from confronting suspicious people in their neighborhood in any way. Situations can become violent very quickly. Police want you to be a good witness, not a victim.
Meetings will also discuss home security, safety at home and in the community, cyber security, identity theft protection, personal protection, security video cameras, and more. Staying safe from crime routinely ranks as top concern for local residents. Police officers cannot be everywhere in a town like Redlands with more than 70,000 residents, so it is even more important for residents to be vigilant and involved in their neighborhoods.
Anyone interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch Program may contact retired Redlands Police Cpl. Rick Strobaugh at rstrobaugh@redlandspolice.org. Strobaugh has been holding Neighborhood Watch meetings in Redlands since the early 1990s. Meetings are usually held at one of the neighborhood homes and run for about 90 minutes in the evening.
Anyone with information regarding crime or suspicious activity is asked to contact Redlands Police Dispatch at (909) 798-7681 ext. 1. Certain non-emergency crimes may also be reported online using the Redlands Police Department’s CopLogic reporting system at www.cityofredlands.org/report-crime. Suspicious activity and tips can be reported using the City of Redlands 311 mobile app available for Android, iPhones, and iPads.