NeighborAlerts

The United States has enjoyed relatively low crime rates in recent years. Unfortunately, that may be about to change for the worse. With the economy in decline, joblessness is soaring, which could lead to rising crime. At the same time, the budgets for government services such as police are being slashed. Citizens will have to do more to protect themselves, their families and their property.

NeighborAlerts is here to help.

When people care enough about a challenge, they can come together and create solutions. NeighborAlerts will empower members to take positive actions to make their communities safer:

• Community surveillance contributes to safer neighborhoods because the bad guys will be dettered when they know you are watching. NeighborAlerts members can alert friends and neighbors when you see a crime reported on NeighborAlerts or witness suspicious or criminal activity on your own. NeighborAlerts provides a free, easy way for members to send out e-alerts about incidents.
  Communities that already have informal ways of communicating crime incidents, such as e-mail alerts, will benefit from using the more complete information and additional free tools provided by NeighborAlerts.
• NeighborAlerts members can create their own online community for their street, neighborhood, or condo or apartment building blogs where they will be able to share information, organize meetings, and discuss with neighbors the appropriate responses to incidents and issues.
• NeighborAlerts members will be able to better communicate with law enforcement. NeighborAlerts is inviting all law enforcement agencies to participate on the site, providing them with a dedicated place for direct two-way communications with members. It is widely recognized that partnerships with communities help law enforcement fight crime by increasing the flow of information from citizens to police. NeighborAlerts will aid community policing by increasing police contact with citizens in a positive setting. Increasing the flow of intelligence from citizens to police about offenses and offenders will help police gather evidence, increase the probability of arrests, and help police provide victim assistance. Increasing the flow of police intelligence about crime back to citizens will improve citizens’ ability to protect themselves.
• NeighborAlerts will help communities organize projects which create stronger community bonds and improve safety, such as gathering community members to remove graffiti or clean up overgrown areas.
• NeighborAlerts will also facilitate the formation of neighborhood watch groups, and facilitate physical mixers where members can meet in person. Many people refuse to host or attend community meetings, in part because they don’t know their neighbors or distrust them. NeighborAlerts will encourage greater participation by increasing members’ contact with neighbors in a positive, trusted setting.

In addition, through our Security Mall, NeighborAlerts will help members find trusted providers of products and services to improve their own safety and that of their community. In the Security Mall, members will be able to get trusted recommendations from other members about the best products and services.

Finally, NeighborAlerts believes in giving back. Our NeighborAlerts Foundation will provide funds to communities and law enforcement agencies to help fund projects which will improve public safety.