Photo By Funkypancake
By Melina Ann Collison
St. Louis – One of the most important things a person can do is correctly gather information that the police will need for their investigation of your neighborhood watch report.
It is a good idea to create a laminated sheet for each household that is a member of the neighborhood watch program with directions and reminders of what information needs to be taken down for the officers.
Each neighborhood watch meeting is an opportunity to remind and teach individuals how to provide law enforcement with accurate and timely descriptions of events or people.
Watching for activities, people, and vehicles that could be involved with crime is only part of the job for a neighborhood watch member. Writing down needed information should go hand in hand with those observations.
Vehicles
- Which way did the vehicle go
- Where was the vehicle when you last saw it
- Identifying features of the vehicle
- License plate number
- Make and model of the vehicle
- Vehicle color
- Approximate year of the vehicle
Activity
- Are there any injuries
- Were weapons involved
- What location did the crime or incident occur; street names or landmarks
- What time the event occurred
- Exactly what happened
People
- Age
- Gender
- Race
- Approximate height and weight
- Color and length of the hair
- Facial hair
- Shirt color or identifying marks
- Pants color or identifying marks
- Hat or head covering
- Jacket or coat
- Shoe color and style
- Voice
- Where the person headed
- Mannerisms
- Physical deformities
For more info: The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is always willing to answer any calls or questions regarding Neighborhood Watch. If you live in an area surrounding St. Louis please contact your local police department.
Neighborhood Watch 101 series:
- Neighborhood Watch 101: How to start a neighborhood watch group
- Neighborhood Watch 101: What to watch for in your neighborhood
Look for future updates to the Neighborhood Watch 101 series:
- Neighborhood Watch 101: Confrontation with criminals
- Neighborhood Watch 101: How to Patrol
Internet Safety 101 Series
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Comments
can we organize an internet watch - use the internet to inform each other of what is going on in our immediate community.
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