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The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department will be holding a county-wide Neighborhood Watch meeting at the Clinton Middle School auditorium at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting will highlight the success of Neighborhood Watch and the dedicated volunteers who have contributed so much to reducing crime. A presentation will demonstrate how the department’s crime analysis and crime mapping aids citizens in keeping neighborhoods safe.
Neighborhood Watch is one of the oldest and most effective crime prevention programs in the country, bringing citizens together with law enforcement to deter crime and make communities safer. Throughout the county, there are some 30 Neighborhood Watch groups keeping a close eye on their community.
Sponsored by the National Sheriff’s Association, Neighborhood Watch can trace its roots back to the days of colonial settlements when night watchmen patrolled the streets. The modern version was developed in response to sheriffs and police chiefs who were looking for a crime prevention program that would involve citizens and address an increasing number of burglaries.
Launched in 1972, Neighborhood Watch counts on citizens to organize themselves and work with law enforcement to keep a trained eye and ear on their communities, while demonstrating their presence at all times of day and night. Neighborhood Watch works because it reduces opportunities for crime to occur; it doesn’t rely on altering or changing the criminal’s behavior or motivation.
For information about forming a Neighborhood Watch group in your community, contact Deputy David Massengill at (865) 457-6255, extension 1150.
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