How to Reduce Crime in Your Neighborhood

Co-authored by Saul Jaeger, MS and Eric McClure

Last Updated: December 1, 2022 References Approved

There are plenty of easy steps that you can take to help make your community a better place. By building a relationship with your neighbors and your local police department, you’ll raise awareness and make it easier to enact change in your area. Just remember, you are not going to find success if you go out trying to fight crime yourself. The goal here is to build your community up to make it less welcoming for criminals, not to confront strangers or call the police every time you see something vaguely suspicious.

1

Get to know your neighbors.

The stronger your community is, the safer it will be. Introduce yourself to the people on your block, hang out outside and wave to folks as they walk by, and chat it up with the people in your neighborhood. Not only will it be easier to start programs and spot suspicious people in your neighborhood if you know everyone, but it will huge deterrent to criminals if they catch a glimpse of the unity in your neighborhood.^{[1]
X
Expert Source

Saul Jaeger, MS
Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department
Expert Interview. 21 February 2020.}
- Criminals don’t like to be challenged. If a burglar is driving around looking for houses to break into, they’re going to be put-off if they see a bunch of folks in the neighborhood chatting it up.
- There’s a strategy you can use here known as positive loitering. The premise is that if you hang out outside with people in the neighborhood, you can keep your eyes peeled and show criminals that they aren’t welcome.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
- The occasional block party or garage sale are a great way to get to know your neighbors!

2

Start a neighborhood watch.

Talk to your neighbors to see if anyone is interested. If you can get a few folks to volunteer, call your local police department to get the ball rolling. The police department will walk you through the process, which can differ from area to area. In most cases, the police will assign a liaison officer to work with you. Once the watch is established, start meeting regularly to establish objectives and decide where you want to focus your efforts.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- The first goal of a neighborhood watch is to report crime and suspicious activity. Outside of that, you could institute citizen patrols, clean up vandalism, or organize youth events.
- Remind everyone to stay reasonably cautious and not to get paranoid about crime. Some watch groups have resulted in racism and hysteria, because people started feeling like they were the cops. Keep everyone cool to make sure things don’t get carried away.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}

3

Get to know your local police department.

Attend any outreach events that the police organize for the public. Say hello to officers and introduce yourself when you run into them at the local coffee shop. Your local police have the lowdown on what’s going on in your area, and they can let you know ahead of time if there’s a spike in car theft, or burglaries. It may also encourage the police to patrol your area a little more often if you ask nicely enough!^{[5]
X
Research source}

4

Report suspicious activity when you see it.

Do not hesitate to call the police if you see a crime taking place. If someone is talking to a child and you know they aren’t the parent, or if you see someone trying to get into your neighbor’s house, call 911. If there has been an ongoing issue or you want to call attention to suspicious behavior, call your local police department directly to report it. Getting law enforcement involved will send the message that crime isn’t tolerated in your neighborhood.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- Don’t call 911 if there isn’t a crime taking place or the suspicious activity isn't an emergency or a crime in progress.
- For issues that are not so black and white if they constitute an emergency, check resources in your relevant area to see what issues they expected to be reported to 911. For example, in New York City, illegal marijuana smoking is an issue that they officially instruct citizens to call 911.^{[7]
  X
  Research source}
- Don’t try to confront criminals yourself. You’re just putting yourself in harm’s way. Let the professionals handle it.^{[8]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Saul Jaeger, MS
  Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department
  Expert Interview. 21 February 2020.}

5

Push local politicians to do more.

Call the mayor’s office or send your state representative an email. Voice your concerns about crime in the area, and ask them what they’re planning to do to fix the problem. Tell them about any specific issues you’re facing in your neighborhood to raise the alarm. Even if they don’t have a plan yet, pushing your local politicians sends the signal that their constituents want more help fighting crime.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- You could ask them to tear down vacant properties in your area. There’s a lot of evidence that abandoned buildings are linked to higher crime rates.^{[10]
  X
  Research source}
- If you don’t have streetlights, ask for them! Street lighting can dramatically lower crime.
- If you’ve noticed an uptick in problematic loitering or public drinking around local businesses, you could let your local representative know^{[11]
  X
  Research source}

6

Keep your neighborhood clean.

If your area looks disorganized and unkempt, it may attract crime. Criminals are more likely to assume they can get away with something if it looks like people don’t care about the neighborhood. Host a block cleanup event where neighbors get together and clean up litter, or take matters into your own hand and mow the grass in that vacant lot down the street. By fixing the area up, you’ll deter criminals from hanging around in your area.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- Cleaning up and painting over the graffiti in your neighborhood is a great way to make it look nicer.
- This is a phenomenon known as broken window theory. The premise is that small signs of decay—like broken windows—send a psychological message that law and order are not being enforced. It’s a hotly-debated idea, but there’s evidence that it has merit.^{[13]
  X
  Research source}

7

Increase the number of cameras around your home.

Install security cameras around your home to prevent crime on the block. Contact local contractors and get some quotes before you get cameras installed on the front and back of your home. Choose locations where the cameras will be highly visible, and encourage your neighbors to do the same. This way, criminals will stay away from your home.^{[14]
X
Expert Source

Saul Jaeger, MS
Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department
Expert Interview. 21 February 2020.}
- This is really more of a personal crime prevention tactic, but if enough people in your neighborhood put cameras up, it will have a positive impact on the area as a whole.^{[15]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Saul Jaeger, MS
  Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department
  Expert Interview. 21 February 2020.}

8

Put up signage as a warning to criminals.

Talk to your local politicians about putting up “tough on crime” signs. Those little “neighborhood watch” and “active law enforcement zone” signs can have a huge impact. You can also place “we call the police” signs in your yard and window and encourage your neighbors to do the same. Criminals are much less likely to hang around if they know the neighborhood is on the lookout for suspicious behavior.^{[16]
X
Research source}
- You can throw a security company sign in your yard, even if you don’t have a security system installed.
- Even if you never got an official neighborhood watch off of the ground, you can still ask about putting the signs up! Criminals won’t know the difference.
- Consult your local government before nailing signs to electrical poles and such. In most cases they’re going to honor small requests like these.

9

Start a community garden and cultivate green spaces.

It sounds silly, but nature puts the mind at ease. Well-maintained green spaces aren’t a deterrent on their own, but they have a naturally calming effect that may lower crime.^{[17]
X
Research source} You could turn a vacant lot into a community garden to bring folks into your area together, or get to work on your home garden. You could also host an event at your local park to get rid of litter and plant something new.^{[18]
X
Research source}
- When it comes to your hedges and bushes, make sure you trim them low enough so that you can see out of the window. Keep them small enough that a potential burglar won’t be able to hide themselves near a door and hide while they try to break in.

10

Give your time or money to local youth groups.

The best way to reduce crime is to prevent it. Unfortunately, younger people tend to commit more crime than older folks.^{[19]
X
Research source} Giving the youth in your area more things to do is a great way to help them stay on the right track. Call your local Boys and Girls Club and ask if they need volunteers, or reach out to a local non-profit and cut them a check. By supporting local community organizations, you’ll help others out while keeping crime down in your area.^{[20]
X
Trustworthy Source
American Psychological Association
Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists
Go to source}
- This is also just a great way to make the world a better place. The more positivity you can inject into your community, the better you’re going to feel about your neighborhood.

Expert Q&A

Question

What is a good crime prevention strategy?

Saul Jaeger, MS
Public Safety Advisor
Saul Jaeger is a Police Officer and Captain of the Mountain View, California Police Department (MVPD). Saul has over 17 years of experience as a patrol officer, field training officer, traffic officer, detective, hostage negotiator, and as the traffic unit’s sergeant and Public Information Officer for the MVPD. At the MVPD, in addition to commanding the Field Operations Division, Saul has also led the Communications Center (dispatch) and the Crisis Negotiation Team. He earned an MS in Emergency Services Management from the California State University, Long Beach in 2008 and a BS in Administration of Justice from the University of Phoenix in 2006. He also earned a Corporate Innovation LEAD Certificate from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2018.

Saul Jaeger, MS

Public Safety Advisor

Expert Answer

At outreach events, you can ask questions about the issues facing your neighborhood, and urge the police to do more in your area.

Warnings

Don’t confront the subject if you see them actively committing a crime. You could be putting yourself in harm’s way if you do this. Just call emergency services and let the professionals handle the problem.^{[21]
X
Research source}

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
Be mindful and self-reflective before you call the cops on someone. When you call, report what you see and what they appear to be doing, not a speculation that can not be reasonably ascertained by observations. Racial profiling has been a huge problem when it comes to crime-prevention programs and neighborhood watch groups, so make sure you’re doing the right thing before you hit the send button to call the police. Somebody being a specific race is not a reason for you to be suspicious.^{[22]
X
Research source}

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1