Maricopa Police Department this afternoon hosted an informational meeting on developing neighborhood watch groups in subdivisions around the city.
The meeting was initiated by some recent crime around the city. However, Community Support Specialist Jim DeVenezia said the department was also due for another meeting.
“With some of the latest activities, some of the shootings in particular, it was suggested to me to do a neighborhood watch update,” DeVenezia told InMaricopa. “Those shootings were mostly domestic or completely random, so neighborhood watch would not have prevented them. But [with increased tension], it was time anyway because the last update was in 2023.”
DeVenezia said while groups can be highly organized with watch captains and a board of directors, he wanted Maricopans to focus more on building community connections and vigilance for nonviolent injustices such as property crime.
“Let’s be aware of what’s happening around us. I think it’s that sort of community awareness that could very well prevent crime,” he said. “It’s as simple as people being leaders and taking that first step to say, ‘Let’s get together and let’s do something.’”
This can be as simple as noticing oddities while on a morning walk or communicating with neighbors more often.
DeVenezia said most neighborhood watch groups around the city are sequestered in small pockets of neighborhoods. Southeast Tortosa has developed a healthy sized group.
Larry Juitt briefly discussed the group with InMaricopa. He said he and his wife were among several neighbors who helped start a neighborhood watch group in the that corner of the subdivision. Their group operates primarily on social media.
“We just wanted to have a place to report crime and post safety notes for our community,” he said.
Think speeding cars, coyote sightings or suspicious activity. Juitt said having a large group of neighbors contributing has been beneficial in helping to look out for the vulnerable in their community.
“I like to look out for the youth in our community being a retired military member and having dabbled in law enforcement and criminal justice. We’re just looking out for the safety of our community here in Tortosa,” Juitt said.
DeVenezia said helping residents feel empowered is the most important part of holding a watch group.
A neighborhood watch helps “where we don’t feel victimized, we don’t feel helpless, but we feel proactive,” he said. “If we’re reactive to crime, people hide in fear. But being proactive means having the notion that, ‘We live here, this is my house, this is my block.’ We want people to be proactive.”
For more information on starting a neighborhood watch group, contact MPD’s block-watch program at [email protected].
