SPOTSWOOD – Evil-doers, beware. A Neighborhood Watch program is being launched in the borough, starting next month.
The program is a joint effort on the part of the Spotswood PTA, the borough drug and alcohol alliance and the Spotswood Police Department, which is spearheading the program. The first meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 10 in the media room of Appleby School.
The thousands of neighborhood watch programs in place throughout the country have proved very effective in fighting and preventing crime, organizers said.
“It’s really a modern version of an old concept – neighbors looking out for each other,” said Spotswood Police Sgt. Christopher Bierman, who is in charge of the borough’s Community Policing and the Neighborhood Watch programs.
Residents who participate will learn to be aware of suspicious activities and how to report them.
“People should never be afraid to call the police if they see something that concerns them,” Bierman said. “It’s better for them to call and have it be nothing, than not call us and have it be a problem.”
Neighborhood Watch also offers a great way for the police to communicate with the community. Information will be distributed at meetings, through a newsletter and on the borough’s Web site, www.spotswoodboro. com.
“The crime rate in Spotswood isn’t high, but this serves as a preventive measure. We really want to stop crimes before they happen by creating a safe environment and making people aware of their own personal safety,” Bierman said.
PTA President Jackie Zelesnick thinks Spotswood is well suited for a neighborhood watch program.
“We are a small town and people really care about each other,” she said.
While fighting crime may not be the kind of function that people associate with the PTA, Zelesnick noted that the parents’ mission is not limited to kids and schools.
“It’s about making communities stronger. We sponsor many activities to help people in the community,” she said.
Zelesnick, Bierman and Dawn Crandall, president of Spotswood’s Alliance Against Drugs and Alcohol, have worked together before, as the union of such organizations is one of the key concepts of community policing.
“We work closely with the citizen organizations who can tell us what their concerns are, and then we work together to make our town a better place to live,” Bierman said.
The police have supported the PTA in its effort to educate parents about safety issues.
“We have had talks about Megan’s Law, personal safety and keeping kids safe on the Internet,” Zelesnick noted.
Together, the three groups have sponsored the Spotswood Junior Police Academy for high school-age kids, and the police cadet program, which is for younger children.
“Both emphasize character building, decision making, leadership,” Bierman said. “The kids work out and learn about crime scene investigation and the K-9 corps.”
“These kind of programs,” Zelesnick said, “really help the kids develop positive relationships with the police. Now, when they see them on patrol, they stop and talk to them. They feel really comfortable.”
The drug and alcohol alliance has been a big supporter of the Junior Police Academy and DARE programs, and now the Neighborhood Watch.
“I believe one of the best ways to keep kids off drugs is to be involved with them and their lives,” Crandall said. “Parents really need to know what they’re doing and who their friends are.
“Really be involved,” she advised.
Her organization sponsors many activities for parents to do just that, including the bike rodeo, craft fair and Family Day, which will be held this year on Oct. 20.
For further information about the Neighborhood Watch program, visit the borough’s Web site or contact Sgt. Bierman at (732) 416-1855 or via e-mail at Cbierman@ spotswoodboro.com.