The Little Italy Neighborhood Watch

A neighborhood watch (also called a crime watch or neighborhood crime watch) is a citizens’ organization devoted to crime and vandalism prevention within a neighborhood. It is not a vigilante organization, since members are expected not to directly intervene in possible criminal activity. Instead, neighborhood watch members are to stay alert to unusual activity and contact the authorities. It builds on the concept of a town watch from Colonial America.The current American system of neighborhood watches began developing in the late 1960s as a response to the rape and murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York. People became outraged after reports that three dozen witnesses did nothing to save Genovese or to apprehend her killer. Some locals formed groups to watch over their neighborhoods and to look out for any suspicious activity in their areas. Shortly thereafter, the National Sheriffs’ Association began a concerted effort in 1972 to revitalize the “watch group” effort nationwide.

Neighborhood watch, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neighborhood_watch&oldid=142589691 (last visited Jul. 13, 2007).

National Night Out is a community-police partnership held the first Tuesday of every August since 1984 sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch in the United States and Canada. It aims to increase awareness about police programs in communities, such as drug prevention, town watch, and other anti-crime efforts. Initially communities held lights-on vigils. Now, many communities hold block parties, festivals, and other events to help bring neighbors together.

National Night Out was developed by Matt Peskin of the National Association of Town Watch in 1984. That year there were 2.5 million participants in 400 communities, in 2006 there were over 35.2 million participants in 11,100 communities.
National Night Out, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Night_Out&oldid=132470168 (last visited Jul. 13, 2007).