There are merits to watching out for one another
The South Brunswick Police Department wants your help.
It is asking that residents form Neighborhood Watches throughout the township, charged with being the department’s eyes and ears in the community.
There are 24 Watch programs currently in place, though most are inactive and even that number comprises just a small percentage of neighborhoods in the township.
The theory behind the Neighborhood Watch is fairly simple: Neighbors know what is normal for their neighborhood and can best tell when something is wrong. When they notice something out of the ordinary, they are encouraged to call the police.
Police say Watch programs are effective because they increase communications between residents and the police, leading residents to overcome their fear of getting involved.
"Sometimes people are unsure if they should call us or not," Officer Gene Rickle, who organizes the watches for the department, said last week. "We want them to know they should call and we will follow up. When we organize a Neighborhood Watch, they get the idea that they are not bothering us or inconveniencing us. They are helping us do our job better."
That’s exactly what happened earlier this month when a Neighborhood Watch in the new Four Seasons retirement community helped police nab a group of 10 teens who broke into the development’s clubhouse on Nov. 11.
Two members of the Watch program saw the teens pry open a side door to the clubhouse and called police, who arrived within minutes and charged everyone in the group with burglary, criminal trespassing, possession of burglary tools and underage possession of alcohol.
Arrests like this are not uncommon, police say, though arrest figures have not been compiled.
But the point is not necessarily making arrests. The point is heightening awareness in our neighborhoods which has the double benefit of preventing crime and creating tighter-knit communities, which is what happened in Four Seasons.
We hope that other neighborhoods in South Brunswick follow in their footsteps.
Anyone interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch program should contact Officer Rickle at (732) 329-4000, ext. 7459.

