Neighborhood Watch Program
Those interested in organizing a neighborhood watch should first register with the Virginia Beach Police Department.
Virginia Beach is among the safest cities in the nation, in part to involved residents actively engaging their neighbors to create a safe community. Establishing a neighborhood watch is one way to help the Virginia Beach Police Department in creating safer communities through resident involvement.
A neighborhood watch is a group of people living in the same area who want to make their community a safer place by working together and in conjunction with local law enforcement to reduce crime and improve their quality of life.
A neighborhood watch is an observe and report program.
Participants are expected to watch over their neighborhood and report suspicious activities to VBPD. Participants should not physically intervene or attempt to apprehend suspicious persons.
How can I start a neighborhood watch program?
If you’re interested in starting a certified neighborhood watch, complete the neighborhood watch registration form.
Once we have received the form, your precinct’s community liaison officer will contact you to assist with the next steps of defining the geographic boundaries of your neighborhood watch and supplying additional forms to be completed and returned to the VBPD.
What are the requirements of a neighborhood watch program?
Every neighborhood watch must have a coordinator who serves as the primary contact for the Virginia Beach Police Department and is responsible for relaying information to the local community. This person will also be responsible for the certification and recertification of the group, including quarterly trainings with VBPD.
Each neighborhood watch must identify individuals to serve as block captains. These individuals will work with the coordinator to ensure participating households have current information. There should be one block captain per 20 participating households.
Each neighborhood watch will consist of no more than 250 households, 60%of which must be participating households. Participating households must attend neighborhood watch meetings and stay in active communication with their block captain.
A neighborhood watch must not require participation in any other program, such as a homeowner's association, neighborhood association, civic league, or similar organization.
Once a neighborhood watch is certified by their community liaison officer, they must send a representative to their precinct’s Citizen Advisory Committee each month.
The coordinator is responsible for recertification of their neighborhood watch every two years. This includes updating and confirming contact information for the coordinator and block captains.