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Crime & Safety

Kensington Lacks Formal Neighborhood Watch Program

Neighborhood Watch initiatives are a growing trend in Montgomery County and throughout the nation.

More than 25,000 Neighborhood Watch programs are registered nationwide, but budget cuts from 2008 have eliminated program funding in Montgomery County leaving communities like Kensington without an organized Neighborhood Watch group.

Only 388 registered Neighborhood Watch programs are located in Maryland, according to Robbie Woodson, program manager for the National Sheriff's Association. Kensington, like many communities in the county, is not registered with the associations' Neighborhood Watch.

"Montgomery County, back a few years ago, made a decision to reduce funding and decided not to work with the Neighborhood Watch program on a formal basis," Woodson said.

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Due to budget cuts in 2008, 22 crime prevention officers in Montgomery County were transferred to other positions, according to a 2008 Gazette article. As a result, the county saved over $600,000.

Although Montgomery County opted out of providing formal funding for Neighborhood Watch, some districts still have decided to designate community service officers who assist communities with their neighborhood crime prevention initiatives. District 2, where Kensington is located, has 2 community service officers who train individuals looking to start a Neighborhood Watch program.

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Officer Dana Stroman, a community services officer for District 2, offers free weekly training to citizens looking to start a program in their neighborhoods. Training sessions are conducted in 9-hour blocks, which are split into 3-hour classes, one night a week for three weeks. Stroman has already conducted successful trainings in the Chevy Chase area and has an upcoming training session in Bethesda.

"It provides citizens with the knowledge of what they need to do to protect themselves and their communities," Stroman said. "It teaches them to be aware of their surroundings."

Kensington is still safer than 72 percent of cities and towns in the United States, according to NeighborhoodScout. Both violent crimes and property crimes are well under the national average. Most crimes that do occur, however, are property crimes such as robberies and burglaries.

"Unfortunately, with crime prevention programs there are very soft numbers," Woodson said. "It's not easily measurable, so they are often the first programs to be cut when funding is an issue."

The association knows, however, that there are many neighborhood watches that exist, formally and informally that are not represented in their database. Every year, the database grows about nine percent, according to Woodson.

Neighborhood Watch is one of the oldest and best-known crime prevention concepts in North America. Started after a nation-wide increase in crime in the 1960s, the crime prevention initiative worked within residential communities and involved local citizens. The National Sheriff's Association responded by creating the Neighborhood Watch program in 1972 to assist citizens and law enforcement that were interested in creating their own Watches.

The Neighborhood Watch program provides information, training, technical support, and resources for local law enforcement agencies and citizens so that they can work together to create a safer environment. The training includes a brief history and overview of Neighborhood Watch, and information on reporting issues to the police and identity theft. It also empowers citizens to become active in home security efforts.

Neighborhood Watch has proven success nationally and locally, according to Woodson, and even though the crime statistics for Kensington are low, a Watch could help lower statistics even more.

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