Town of Waco
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North Carolina
We meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm at the Waco Community Center. The meeting is open to the public.
The Waco Community Watch Program is open to anyone in the Town of Waco and all the surrounding communities. If you are a part of the Waco Community Volunteer Fire Department fire district, you are considered a part of the Waco Community Watch coverage area. This includes the communities of Mary's Grove, Washington, Buffalo, New Prospect, and the Moss Lake. Contact us for more information.
Our Beginning
The Town of Waco in cooperation with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department began the Waco Community Watch Program in March of 2022. Our community was experiencing an alarming increase in crime and the effects are being felt by everyone from our neighborhoods to our local businesses and even by our churches. It’s time that we, as a community, make a stand.
The Community Watch program is a highly successful effort that has been in existence for more than forty years in cities and towns across America. The program consists of a group of people living in the same area who want to make their neighborhood’s safe by working together in conjunction with local law enforcement to reduce crime and improve their quality of life.
Neighborhood watch groups have regular meetings to plan how they will accomplish their specific goals and assign responsibilities to group members. Neighborhood watch is homeland security as the most local level. It is an opportunity to volunteer and work towards increasing the safety and security of our homes and businesses throughout our community.
Reasons for a Neighborhood Watch Program:
Basic Crime Prevention
Practice crime safety measures that eliminate opportunities for criminals. Encourage others to join in crime prevention efforts. Aid others when they become victims of crime. Work for a better and safer neighborhood through protecting and honoring the rights of others.
Disaster Preparedness
Learn skills for to prepare for man-made and natural disasters. Local, states and the federal government do a lot to prepare for disasters but citizens have to be ready to care for each other. Encourage citizen involvement in preparation and planning.
Build a Stronger Community
Get to know your neighbors. In our fast-paced world we don’t spend enough time learning about our neighbors. Watch groups give community members a reason to get together and talk about making their community a better place. Neighborhood Watch activities are a fun way for community members to get to know each other while making a difference.
The Background of our Program:
We began discussions on starting a program back in 2020 before the Covid lockdowns and the program had to be pushed out until 2022. The first Community Watch meeting was held on March 10th and our numbers have steadily increased since then. Local graphic artist Jimmy Carpenter designed our Waco Community Watch logo. Letters have been sent to every household in the Town of Waco announcing the program to create interest. Letters have been sent to every business in the Waco community asking them to be a part of the program and asking for their support with funding. Letters have been sent to every church in the Waco community asking that pastors mention the program to their congregation.
Community Watch meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at the Waco community center and the meetings are open to the public.
We Operate on Donations:
Through donations, we have purchased window decals to be displayed in participating homes and businesses and we have purchased 12’ x 14’ Community Watch signs that are displayed on all the streets in Waco.
Currently developing a brochure on our program to use as an information and recruitment tool.
We have set up a private Facebook “Waco Community Watch” group page that is open to anyone in the Waco Community to join. The page is being used to share information on issues related to suspicious activity and other crime related information within the community. We also developed an email group for citizens that are not on Facebook where we share the same information that we share on the Community Watch Facebook page.
How we are working to make our program a success:
Recruitment of community participants
We make an effort to get out and speak with groups, community organizations, businesses leaders, churches and schools to generate interest.
Neighborhood Watch Skills
Observation skills: Beginning to recognize what is normal around you is the first step in recognizing what is not normal.
What is suspicious activity?
Suspicious activity can refer to any incident, event, individual or activity that seems unusual or out of place.
Examples include:
Stranger loitering in your neighborhood or a vehicle cruising the streets repeatedly.
Someone peering into car windows
High volume of traffic going to and coming from a home on a daily basis
Strange odors coming from a home
Open or broken doors and windows at a closed business or unoccupied residence. Someone tampering with electrical, gas, or sewer systems without an identifiable company vehicle
Person arriving or leaving from homes or businesses at unusual hours
Signs of forced entry or tampering with a security system.
Know What and How to report:
There are four general categories to consider when determining what to report.
To report suspicious activities, crimes in progress, or possible terrorist activity, simply:
If you feel the situation isn’t an emergency use the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department Communications non-emergency number 704-484-4822
Home Security Survey
The following checklist can help you access the security of your home and identify weaknesses that can make your home an “Easy target” for criminals.
From the Curb
Landscaping
Outdoor lighting
Garage Doors
Windows
External Doors
Do You Have Exterior Cameras?
Cleveland County Sheriff’s Dept.
Emergency – 911
Non-emergency – 704-484-4822
Waco Community Watch
John Barrett – 704-718-8475 townofwaco@gmail.com
Tracy Chichester 607-267-1679 prefcycl@gmail.com
Flavio Halis