Neighborhood Watch Program Incorporates Crimemapping.com

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Since the program’s inception in the early 1970s, has kept citizens informed about local crime and about crime prevention techniques. The theory behind Neighborhood Watch is the better informed the public is about nearby criminal activity, the more successful our partnership with them will be in reducing crime and implementing crime prevention strategies.

For nearly four decades red and white Neighborhood Watch signs posted at entrances to communities have warned would-be criminals that they were being observed and any suspicious activity would be reported to law enforcement.

Gatherings at a “coordinator’s” home have provided a venue for neighbors to learn more about each other as well as criminal activity in their area.  These meetings have also been an effective conduit for law enforcement representatives to communicate with concerned citizens and develop team relationships that are so vital to the reduction of crime.

The Neighborhood Watch concept has evolved with technology.  On January 11, 2010, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department introduced its public crime mapping site, www.Crimemapping.com .  This site is easy to use, provides information specific to Crime Prevention, allows the user to register to receive automated e-mail alerts about selected crimes within a specified radius, and displays crime reports as recent as the previous day.

To use the program once having accessed the site, one simply clicks on the southern California area on the map and selects from the list of contract cities within the Sheriff’s jurisdiction.  The “legend” tab identifies the type of crime and the “date” tab allows the user to enter either a block of time or a single date they want to research. Additional links include those to other contract cities and the Sheriff’s internet site, www.sdsheriff.net. 

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department encourages those who live in Santee and the unincorporated  areas of the County, to use this simple yet effective tool to obtain crime information in their area, to educate themselves about crime prevention techniques, and to share the information with neighbors and friends.  The new crime mapping system is a valuable and powerful resource for our citizens. If you have additional questions, please contact the Crime Prevention Unit at your .

Also check out the Santee Patch and .