NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — The concept of neighbors watching for crime in their neighborhood is fine, local law enforcement officials said, but it depends on the people involved how well such programs work.
Florida is a prime example of people making the program work — or not work — local authorities said.
George Zimmerman, 28, is charged with second-degree murder in a Feb. 26 shooting in Sanford, Fla., about 20 miles north of Orlando. Zimmerman, captain of his neighborhood watch program, came to national prominence after shooting and killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Zimmerman claimed Martin attacked him. He has pleaded not guilty, claiming self-defense under Florida’s “stand your ground” law. He is free on $1 million bail.
According to information from the National Crime Prevention Council, Neighborhood Watch is a community-based program supported by the National Sheriffs Association and is offered by a majority of law enforcement agencies. The program began in 1972.
More Than A ‘Neighborhood’
Bella Vista has the most organized crime watch program in the area. The Bella Vista Crime Watch Program was formed in 1980, according to Harold Krantz, president of the group. Watch members patrol the entire city.
“A bunch of guys got together and said ‘We’re going to patrol the streets,’” Krantz said. “They had a secret handshake, secret meetings; nobody knew who they were. Since then, we’ve moved out of the clandestine era into working with law enforcement.”
Though programs in Northwest Arkansas run from the highly regimented program in Bella Vista to neighbors watching for anything suspicious and calling police in Rogers, no one advocates the use of firearms.
“The organization doesn’t approve of carrying firearms,” said Ken Farmer, Bella Vista police chief. “We make sure they know their job is to observe, gather information and call us. As far as I know, there’s never been a serious problem. We’ve had some instances where they’ve contacted someone before we got there, but nothing serious. Mostly they’re good at getting details and giving us a call.”
Krantz said some members have concealed weapon permits.
“They are asked not to carry (weapons) during patrol,” Krantz said. “We can’t force them. All we can do is ask. They’re not supposed to take their hot toddies along, either. It’s not like it was in Florida. Those have always been our rules.”
Krantz said the Bella Vista organization’s first priority is patrolling.
“At Christmas, when people go on vacation, Chief Farmer gives us a list of homes to check,” Krantz said. “Other than that, we stay in our cars. We’ve got cellphones and radios. If we see something, we do not stop. We do not confront. We do not leave our car. We report it to the police.”
AT A GLANCE
Bella Vista Crime Watch
- The city is divided into 16 areas with the east-west division at U.S. 71. The Highlands area is a separate area.
- East, West and Highlands has a vice president in charge of each of the three areas.
- East is divided into six areas, West into four areas and the Highlands into six areas.
- Each area has an area director who sets the schedules for patrols.
Source: Harold Krantz, President, Bella Vista Crime Watch
Interest Fluctuates
While the community watchers are active in Bella Vista, the popularity of neighborhood watch programs in the area has faded, authorities said.
Any watch group representative who approaches a law enforcement agency hears one constant theme, officials said: Report, don’t confront, something suspicious.
“We’ve had conversations with several areas through the years about setting up Neighborhood Watch programs,” said Doug Gay, public information officer for the Benton County Sheriff’s Office. “Prairie Creek and Lost Bridge Village both have viable programs. We’ve had some success with both programs on cutting down on petty crimes — things like breaking and entering.”
Gay said the Bella Vista program has been “very effective.”
“They know their village and know when things are out of place,” Gay said. “It’s not going to stop all crime, but it helps take the opportunity away from crimes of opportunity. We look at it as putting more eyes on the street. The bad guys are like cockroaches. They don’t like having the light shine on them, and these groups shine the light on the bad guys.”
But Bella Vista is the only larger city in Northwest Arkansas with any type of community watch program.
“I don’t know of any group patrolling,” said Keith Foster, public information officer with the Rogers Police Department. “The biggest thing is, when you’re walking or driving around your neighborhood, be alert and report anything suspicious. You don’t have to actually be in a Neighborhood Watch program to do that.”
Foster said the police will help facilitate groups that want to start a Neighborhood Watch program.
“I’ve given presentations to four or five places that showed interest,” Foster said. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all program. They may form a group just to watch for certain crimes. We had a neighborhood in Rogers where people were worried about their community pool. It’s up to them how to set it up. If they want help, I’ll come and talk to them.”
Jon Simpson, Bentonville police chief, said some neighborhoods and property owners associations have loosely organized watches, but nothing the department is involved in.
“There’s nothing really organized in Bentonville that I know of,” Simpson said. “There’s still some signage up indicating a Neighborhood Watch, but that’s more a state of mind than anything.”
Simpson said officers try to address the issues of neighbors watching out for neighbors during two public outreach programs.
“We have police academy for the public and during that we explain to people that the public is our eyes and ears,” Simpson said. “If we can get that through to people in the academy and they tell other people, we’re light years ahead of where we were. When we have town meetings with different areas of the city, I always tell people that there are 59 police officers and at any given time we may have six or seven people on the street. It’s something we always talk about.”
Lt. Kevin Lewis, Springdale Police Department’s public information officer, said his department is actively seeking to set up a Neighborhood Watch system in the city.
“There are none active right now,” Lewis said. “We’ve done several speeches, but no one has coordinated with the Police Department. However, that is going to change. We’re going to try and get as many programs started as we can because I think they’re an invaluable tool for us.”
Krantz agreed watch programs can be a good deterrent in keeping crime down. There are other ways to deter crime and, likewise, ways to invite crime.
“The best thing you can have in your neighborhood is a nosy neighbor,” Krantz said. “The worst thing is a dog that barks all the time. Someone could steal your whole house because the dog barks so much nobody pays any attention to it.”
One other tip Krantz says to keep in mind: “If you want to invite a burglar, just leave a bunch of newspapers in your driveway. You might as well hang a sign on your door that says, ‘We’re not home, and we don’t care.’”