Groups Help Northwest Arkansas Police Keep Eye On Crime

ROGERS -- Children laughed and pedaled bicycles past green, evenly clipped yards in the Creekwood subdivision on a recent September evening. Crime isn't usually a problem in the quiet community, but after a rash of vehicle break-ins, neighbors decided to look into forming a neighborhood watch group.

"It gives people a sense of security, and if they participate, there will be less crime," said Chris Brown, a resident.

Bob Nicodemus, treasurer of the community's homeowners' association, and, Brown are leading the effort to get a neighborhood watch started. Brown, who owns a home near the community park, likes to walk the neighborhood and watch for suspicious activity, he said. Nicodemus tries to know all his neighbors and keeps a long contact list.

If a watch group starts, it will be among the few in direct communication with, and tips and training from, local police, said Keith Foster, Rogers Police Department spokesman.

In Rogers, some communities put up neighborhood watch signs in yards, but few residents are actually in an active group, Foster said. That might change as Rogers police reach out more to communities, order new neighborhood watch signs and encourage residents to use new technology meant to make communicating with police easier and faster, Foster said.

Foster spoke to about seven Creekwood residents who came to the community's pool house Sept. 16. He said he hopes the session was the start of community interest in watch groups.

"It's not super complicated, and it's all driven by your interest," Foster told residents. "You can say, 'Hey, we're looking out for each other'."

Police already cruise the neighborhood, but Foster pointed out officers can't be everywhere at all times. The department has about 75 patrol officers to cover a the city.

Neighborhood watch groups could help prevent rashes of thefts, such as those of metal yard furniture and at construction sites, Foster said.

The number of residential burglaries in Rogers was about the same June through August this year as the same time a year ago, but theft in Rogers is up overall, according to statistics from the Police Department. Between June and August this year, police reported 485 thefts, compared to 442 a year ago, records show.

Creekwood residents are worried their peaceful, low-crime community might not stay that way, Nicodemus said. Most people who live in Creekwood are Walmart employees, doctors and lawyers, Brown said.

"It's a wonderful neighborhood," Nicodemus said, looking at the stately, brick homes. "We want it to stay that way."

Keeping Down Crime

Neighborhood watch groups can keep crime down, police said, but Northwest Arkansas cities don't have a lot of them.

Bentonville has no neighborhood watch groups, Springdale has about eight groups, and Fayetteville has two longtime groups and some watch groups based off of homeowner's associations, police spokesmen said. In Rogers, Foster was not aware of any active watch groups.

Nationwide, watch groups took hold in the 1970s and quickly grew, according to a 2008 report by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The two Fayetteville groups that have been active at least 10 years are near East Magnolia Drive and Azalea Terrace, and the Fayetteville Country Club, said spokesman Craig Stout .

Studies into neighborhood watch groups show mixed results as to how effective watch groups are, but police and the Justice Department agree watch programs most often reduce crime.

In Northwest Arkansas, many watch groups start up but fizzle quickly, said Stout. People think about starting groups after a burglary spree or other crime event, but when the crimes stop, people often disband.

Even so, traditional neighborhood watch groups probably aren't vital for Fayetteville because technology has enhanced people's ability to report suspicious activity immediately, Stout said. Homeowners associations have also stepped up and communicate with the Police Department, he said.

"It's about information sharing," Stout said. "From a police department standpoint, we can't be everywhere and see everything. We really rely on citizens to help us out."

In Springdale, police want to see more watch groups for apartment complexes and neighborhoods, said spokesman Derek Hudson in an email.

"These residents are there all the time. They know who belongs and who doesn't," Hudson said. "What better way to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior?"

Be Observant

Observant communities may help Rogers police solve crimes, Foster said.

"It just makes things that much easier," he said.

At Creekwood, Foster told residents to know their immediate neighbors, and advised the group to have a simple organization. Traditional watch groups have block captains and patrols, but it's not necessary, police spokesmen said. How a group is organized should depend on the needs of the community.

"We leave it up to the individual group as to how involved they wish to be," Hudson said. "They can hold monthly meetings, or they may hardly meet at all."

What is important is to be observant, know the neighborhood and communicate with police, Foster said. Residents should be able to say whether something odd is happening, he said.

To that end, the fledgling watch group may want to create a phone list, or phone "tree," with a plan for who calls whom when something happens. The group may also want to have meet-and-greet block parties to get to know each other, Foster said.

The best watch groups are those that have numerous members and stay active, Hudson said.

Police spokesmen said teaching security techniques -- like lighting around homes -- and how to be good witnesses are important, but advised groups not to confront or investigate criminal activity. The group is not meant to take the place of police, they said.

"Let us investigate," Foster said. "With the neighborhood watch, we want you to be our eyes."

Volunteer watch groups should be trained on what types of things they should be watching for and how to use the information they collect, said Holly Dickson, American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas legal director in an email. Groups should be aware they are "not quasi-police or sworn officers, but are private citizens that work with -- and not instead of -- law enforcement officers," she said.

Nicodemus said he understood a watch group is meant for observation and reporting, and not to replace law enforcement. He was a leader in creating a neighborhood watch in Fort Smith, he said. Now, he's turning his attention to Creekwood, where he's lived six years.

The subdivision has about 50 homes, Nicodemus said. A few blocks away from the pool house, on South Timber Ridge Drive, more large homes are under construction.

As the subdivision grows, having a group will make people feel safer, Nicodemus and Brown said. They want to start organizing immediately.

"I think it's a matter of people simply watching out for each other," Nicodemus said.