Mission Hills is a tight knit community and we look out for our neighbors. There are many active Neighborhood Watch groups in Mission Hills headed by block captains that hold semi-annual meetings, maintain membership lists, distribute crime prevention information, and keep members abreast on any crime trends in the area.  Usually a Neighborhood Watch group will consist of a few square blocks in a geographically contained area with maybe a hundred homes. All of the block captains then share information to maintain awareness of all of Mission Hills. If you are not currently a member of your neighborhood watch group or if there is no active watch group in your immediate area, we encourage you to start one. It is not only a great crime deterrent, but also a great way for your neighbors to meet and foster community on the block level.

Here are some steps and resources to help you start a Neighborhood Watch Group:

1. Talk to your neighbors and see if there used to be a watch group in your area and what the boundaries were.  There may be an existing group closeby that might be willing to expand to include your block.  Otherwise, define a geographic area for your own watch group.  Choose an area that makes sense and that is manageable - you can always expand later if there is interest in the surrounding blocks.
2. See if you can find a co-captain to help you start the group; it helps to have someone who knows a lot of the neighbors if you don't already.
3. Create a flyer to distribute to your potential members and gather contact information so you can set up your first meeting.  Click here for a sample letter to get you started.
4. Hold an initial meeting and explain the benefits of a neighborhood watch group, discuss any recent crime in the area, get to know your neighbors, and gather contact information that can be put into a member list as well as a neighborhood watch map.
5. Distribute your member list and map to your members and keep people involved via relevant emails and semi-annual meetings.
6. Let your local police know of your new watch group and get on their block captain distribution list. Mission Hills is covered by the Western Division.
7. You can order new signs for your area by contacting CSI signs - make sure you specify that you live in an older neighborhood with larger sign poles so you get the correct sized hardware!
8. More information can be found on the USAonWatch.org website.