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Those wanting to create a safer neighborhood around James Elementary School are invited to attend the Neighborhood Block Watch Training today (Wednesday) from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at James Elementary School, 5810 Scarritt Ave.
Officer Jason Cooley of Kansas City Police Department’s East Patrol will lead the training, which is free of charge.
Attendees will learn the importance of community involvement, how to prevent crime in a neighborhood, how to identify suspicious activity, how to report a crime effectively, among others.
If three or more of your neighbors attend, your neighborhood will be entitled to a total of eight block watch signs.
One of the of the keys to lowering crime in a neighborhood is community involvement, Cooley said.
Get to know your neighbors and their routines, hold neighborhood block parties, he said.
“A lot of criminals pay attention to the environment where they’re going to commit their crimes,” he said. “If they go into a neighborhood with lots of graffiti, lots of trash, yards and houses not taken care of, they feel more free to commit their crimes because there’s a perception that the community doesn’t care.
“If there is a community where people are taking care of their yards, their lights are on at night, and they’re out involved in the community doing yard work, sitting on the porch drinking lemonade, have kids playing, then that’s an awful lot of witnesses that could witness a potential crime.
“So, they’re going to move to a softer (easier) target.”
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