Police Chief Doug Diamond is looking for Leaders

Want to have a significant impact on your community?  Want to help reduce crime and work proactively with the Police Department?  Then I need your help. 

If you are ready to take an active role in your community, I want you to be a Neighborhood Watch group Coordinator in your area.  The Rancho Cordova Police Department has redesigned our Neighborhood Watch program and we have an exciting agenda planned for 2009.

Neighborhood Watch is a proven program that reduces crime and blight in neighborhoods.  Currently, there are sixty-three Neighborhood Watch groups in Rancho Cordova.  A typical Neighborhood Watch coordinator manages 10 – 15 households, and with 23,000 households in Rancho Cordova, that leaves room for expansion.  Coordinators also work within apartment complexes.

Who can be a Coordinator?
I am looking for responsible adults who can lead a group of neighbors, who have good communications skills, and aspire to improve the quality of life in their neighborhood

What does a Coordinator do?
As a Neighborhood Watch Coordinator you will attend training and coordinate group events. For example, you would host or coordinate a pot-luck where everybody would get to know each other, or set up a meeting where a Police Department representative would discuss local crime, traffic, or blight concerns.  You will be the community liaison between your neighbors and the Police Department. 

Neighborhood Watch Coordinators don’t do it all themselves.  They can, and we suggest they do, delegate responsibilities to their neighbors.  Coordinators manage different aspects of the Neighborhood Watch duties.  Some Coordinators delegate the responsibility to coordinate block parties; forward e-mail messages to the other members; and to write and distribute newsletters.  When more neighbors are involved it creates a strong neighborhood bond.  Working and communicating with your neighbors is what Neighborhood Watch is all about.

What do I get out of it?
Every other month the Rancho Cordova Police Department will host training sessions for Coordinators.  Experts in the law enforcement field educate Coordinators on different aspects of crime trends, crime prevention, and strategies including residential burglaries, vehicle burglaries, code enforcement, parking enforcement, abandoned vehicles, identity theft, traffic enforcement and compliance, crime analysis, Problem Oriented Policing, and internet safety.  We will also give priority consideration to Coordinators who qualify for a patrol ride-along. 

You will gain knowledge and experience in coordination efforts and delegation duties while improving your communication skills and strengthening your neighborhood. 

I challenge you to take a leadership role and help to establish safe neighborhoods free of crime and blight while improving the communities of Rancho Cordova.

I want to join.  What’s the next step?
To become a Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, please contact Crime Prevention Specialist Shannon Ludington (916) 875-5852 or email her at sludington@ranchocordovapd.com.