The Shakespeare Animal Fund is a non-profit organization in Reno, NV dedicated to helping pets and people in need.

One of their efforts is helping in times of disasters. They provide a sticker you can place in your window or attach on or near you house to alert emergency personnel of the number of pets in your household and your Contact #.

Here are some links to other websites of interest. If you have others to add, send us an e-mail. (all links open in another window)

• Crimes Reports
• Shakespeare Animal Fund
• Washoe Valley Community Website
• Safety.com - 5 Free Online Tools to Check Neighborhood Safety

The roots of neighborhood crime prevention, including Neighborhood Watch, can at least be traced back to the Chicago School and its focus on the relationship between the social environment of neighborhood and crime. From the earliest studies on "communities and crime," (Shaw and McKay) to much more recent works (Walker, 1993), research has shown that there is a link between areas with high crime rates and neighborhoods characterized by a heterogeneity of economics and ethnicity, high levels of population turnover and transience, and other physical and economic conditions. Most of this line of research has concluded that crime is higher in "socially disorganized areas" marked by weakened informal control due to an erosion of shared norms. Since formal control organizations (specifically law enforcement) cannot be in all areas at one time, informal control of residents is necessary if that community is to experience low crime rates. When neighborhoods become disorganized, the people and institutions that once assisted in maintaining standards of behavior no longer hold such status, resulting in a breakdown in informal control. This, in turn, produces high crime rates.

Neighborhood Watch is one of the oldest and best-known crime prevention concepts in North America. In the late 1960s, an increase in crime heightened the need for a crime prevention initiative focused on residential areas and involving local citizens. The National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) responded, creating the National Neighborhood Watch Program in 1972 to assist citizens and law enforcement.

In the aftermath of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, strengthening and securing communities has become more critical than ever. Neighborhood Watch programs have responded to the challenge, expanding beyond their traditional crime prevention role to help neighborhoods focus on disaster preparedness, emergency response and terrorism awareness.

In 2002, the NSA-in partnership with USA Freedom Corps, Citizen Corps and the U.S. Department of Justice-launched USAonWatch, the face of the revitalized Neighborhood Watch initiative, which represents the expanded role of watch programs throughout the United States.

USAonWatch empowers citizens to become active in homeland security efforts through participation in Neighborhood Watch groups. Many neighborhoods already have established watch groups that are vibrant, effective, and can take on this expanded role with ease. For neighborhoods without thriving groups, the renewed emphasis on emergency preparedness and response may provide the right incentive for citizens to participate in Neighborhood Watch in their community.

The foundation of the Neighborhood Watch program is the information, training, technical support and resources provided to local law enforcement agencies and citizens. The training program is designed to build the capacity of law enforcement officers assigned to work with community groups by providing specific instruction on topics important to Neighborhood Watch. In addition to training, Neighborhood Watch has developed a new Toolkit that contains such items as posters, flipbooks on target hardening for the home, and presentations for the community.

- used with permission from USAonWatch.org

When you see suspicious activity in your neighborhood, please call the Washoe County Sheriff's South County Dispatch at 832-4110 or call 911 if it is an emergency.

This includes both obvious criminal behavior like breaking into a house or stealing a car, as well as things that just "don't look right" to you like someone who is soliciting without a required Washoe County permit.

By all of us being the eyes and ears of our community, we can help each other keep our neighborhoods a safer place to live.

You hear about it in the news all the time: "Farmer reports equipment stolen sometime overnight." "Meth lab discovered in abandoned shed." "Fertilizer stolen from farm." "Copper stolen from rural church." "Sadly, the crime in rural areas isn't just tipping cows anymore," said Robbi Woodson, National Sheriffs' Association Manager for the National Neighborhood Watch Program. The theft of crops, timber, chemicals, livestock and expensive equipment is a growing concern for farm owners. Vandals not only break or blow up mailboxes, but they also destroy crops and steal common farming chemicals, turning them into lethal and illegal materials. "With the present economic conditions, attacks on farm property are becoming more frequent," said Dick Green, an instructor with the Ohio Crime Prevention Association (OCPA) and CEO of Covered Bridge Productions, Inc., a security consulting company in Eaton in Preble County. "The remoteness from other neighbors, lax security and the distance law enforcement must travel to the area all are factors." Coshocton County Sheriff Tim Rogers, second vice president of the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association and a recent graduate of the FBI National Academy, agrees. "Thefts and drugs continue to be an everyday challenge in our region," he stressed. "These two areas of crime are most likely due to our depressed local economy and the criminals' attempts to support their drug habits. The current high price of scrap metal also has been a strong influence, with many recent thefts from our farming community even taking place in daytime hours." Scrap metal theft One of the biggest issues in rural areas is the theft of scrap metal.

"If I go back to patrol, there's no more Neighborhood Watches. That's it. We're the only ones trained for that. If anything, with the economy the way it is, we need more eyes and ears out there, and not less," said Officer Diane Tillery, the community services officer for the 6th District. Tillery has organized Neighborhood Watch programs in Montgomery Village , Md. . (" Budget cuts hit public safety programs; Neighborhood Watch, Latino outreach among the programs that will suffer, officials say," by C. Benjamin Ford | staff writer, see the article here) Montgomery County is not the only jurisdiction considering such budget cuts. Throughout the country, officers are talking about the decreases in community policing positions in their own departments and the increased concern from local communities. Law enforcement executives are in a difficult catch-22 position: They are forced to propose cuts to public safety that will have a definite impact on their communities, and community members are demanding more services as crime and quality-of-life issues are on the rise.

Whether economic-related or simply the current trend, increases in crime require more than just additional officers on patrol to answer calls for service. Real crime issues are addressed most efficiently when the community and the police work as partners. When there are too few officers to go around, it is even more critical for law enforcement executives to place a strong emphasis on programs such as Neighborhood Watch. Education is the key to helping community members be better prepared to address crime concerns, and to better report real crimes, leading to a decrease in calls for service, and more resources can be provided to communities to address other concerns.

Whether officers work in assignments with a specific community policing agenda or work the street responding to calls, successful crime prevention efforts involve developing close ties to the community being served. Law enforcement leaders should not lose sight of the fact that community-based programs make an officer's job easier because community trust is increased and intelligence is more forthcoming in those environments. Better intelligence leads to better closure rates of crime, which in turn has the potential for reducing the overall incidence of crime in a particular area. "Neighborhood Watch presents an opportunity to get volunteers to work together to identify problems and build partnerships with law enforcement." said Retired Sheriff Aaron Kennard and current Executive Director of the National Sheriffs' Association

Executive-level support of line officers working in the community does much to enhance morale of officers already spread too thin. Officer buy-in goes far in strengthening bonds between law enforcement and the community and in making community members more responsive in addressing their own crime concerns. Chief Matthew Boyd of the Miami Gardens Police Department believes that "as a police chief, I've discovered by taking a personal interest in crime prevention programs, that resonates to the subordinates who tend to enhance their skills and provide product that is more representative of the chief and the department."

Relationship-building programs are only as successful as their inputs. Law enforcement must recognize that community demand will increase as long as the security of a neighborhood is threatened. An educated community that is better prepared to address these challenges will significantly impact overall calls for service and ultimately the time demands of officers. Despite budget issues, police managers at the executive level must strive to support the efforts of the officers working in neighborhoods as well as ensure communities to that quality police service is still the philosophy of the agency. Sheriff Craig Webre of LaFourche Parish , La. and past president of the National Sheriffs' Association, stated that "a healthy Neighborhood Watch system instills a sense of security and trust between civilians and those sworn to protect them.."

- used with permission from USAonWatch.org