Neighborhood Watch has been a long standing program in Overland Park and helped many citizens reduce the opportunity for crime in their homes and neighborhoods.

To establish the program, plan and organize an initial meeting of those people in your neighborhood who have an interest in Neighborhood Watch. It is best to canvass a defined area that is not too large. This will help ensure better attendance and participation in the program.

Once this has been done, an officer from the police department's Community Policing Unit will present information on current crimes in your neighborhood and the surrounding area. The officer also will provide recommendations on security and related issues that make for a more secure home and neighborhood.

Following the meeting, it will be the responsibility of the neighborhood group to identify a contact person for the police department. This individual must have an email account because the neighborhood watch newsletters are sent out electronically. This individual will serve as the contact to the police department.

Neighborhood watch signs are allocated based on attendance at the meeting, neighborhood size and number of streets. The City of Overland Park will install the signs in the designate locations as determined by the Community Policing Officer and neighborhood contact. In order for neighborhood groups to keep their signs erected, neighborhoods must meet on an annual basis with the Community Policing Unit in attendance.

For more information, call 913/895-6408 or e-mail police@opkansas.org.