Appartment Safety and Watch Program

• Help arrange with local police for apartment security surveys and Operation Identification.
• Organize citizen patrols to walk around the apartment complex and alert police to crime and suspicious activities. Don't forget to patrol parking lots, stairways, laundry rooms, and playgrounds.
• Publish a newsletter that gives local crime news, recognizes Apartment Watch captains, and highlights community activities.
• Organize a reception in the lobby of your building or a cookout on common property so neighbors can get to know one another.
• Keep pressure on management to make sure it provides adequate security.
• Start a Safe Haven Program for children -- places where they can go in emergency or scary situations.
• Check the complex on a regular basis for problems such as burned-out light bulbs, dark corridors, uncollected trash, or broken locks on mailboxes and doors. Report problems to the building manager.
• Organize meetings to brainstorm how you can help each other, such as starting an escort service for the elderly or after-school care for children.                                  
• Source: National Crime Prevention Council