Police: Not All Neighborhood Watch Programs Work

An official with the Cheyenne Police Department says neighborhood watch programs can reduce crime, but only if they involve everyone.

Captain Mitch Maxwell says the problem with many such programs is that the people in the program don't take the time to get to know their neighbors, and don't know who really belongs in the neighborhood and who doesn't.

Maxwell says that while such programs "may sound like a good idea", too often "all they do is watch the burglars steal". Maxwell says he also thinks the internet contributes to the problem "because you're more likely to know someone in Tokyo than to know your neighbor".

But he says if people are willing to put the work in, including holding neighborhood meetings, the programs can be a legitimate tool to fight crime.

Maxwell adds there have been discussions in several Cheyenne neighborhoods lately about the possibility of starting watch programs. Two such meetings have been held in South Cheyenne, where residents say vandalism has especially become a problem.