Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Saturday, May 17, 2008

Neighborhood Watch groups expected to rise

By DAN SPRINGER | La Crosse Tribune

The La Crosse County Sheriff’s Department expects the number of suburban Neighborhood Watch groups to double in the coming year.

In 2005, the sheriff’s department helped organize its first Neighborhood Watch group and in the past three years has helped oversee the start of others. But the number of groups leveled off at three, said Deputy John Siegel, who coordinates the program.

During the winter and early spring, Siegel and other members of the sheriff’s department have taken inquiries about starting more groups.

“We’re working with people now and hope to start anywhere from three to five groups before the end of the summer,” Siegel said. “We’re not certain what prompted the interest, but it’s out there.”

When the sheriff’s department started the Neighborhood Watch program in 2004, it hoped to encourage people in the areas outside the cities and villages to follow the lead of more urban residents and team up to improve safety and fight crime, Siegel said.

“In the rural areas is where you really need that extra set of eyes,” Siegel said. “In the city you have that built in because the houses are so close together.”

The first new groups will become active today when residents from about 20 homes on Abnet and Hauser Road in the town of Onalaska meet with Siegel.

The meeting is the culmination of work the residents have done to get organized before having a final meeting with the sheriff’s department.

Neighborhood Watch groups are as active as the residents want and can address any safety issues the members feel are important, Siegel said.

In most cases, groups are not formed because of any single issue or event, sheriff’s Capt. Mike Horstman said.

“It’s often just a way for neighbors to get to know each other, to be more aware of what’s happening near their homes and to just watch out for each other’s property,” Horstman said.

Siegel said the groups help the sheriff’s department deal with and investigate crimes. And they are a good way to alert the public about ongoing problems.

How to organize a Neighborhood Watch

The key to a successful Neighborhood Watch group is to have widespread support for the idea and a commitment to getting and staying organized, La Crosse County Sheriff’s Deputy John Siegel said.

Information needed to orga-nize a Neighborhood Watch is available on the La Crosse County Web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/Sheriff/divisions/preventive/nw/start.htm.

More information is available from Deputy John Siegel at (608) 785-9629.

Dan Springer can be reached at dspringer@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8269.