Neighborhood watch begins in downtown Providence

Until yesterday, downtown Providence was the only neighborhood in the city without a neighborhood watch. Last night, community members met with city leaders from Mayor Jorge Elorza’s Office at the Providence Public Library to innaugurate the new downtown neighborhood watch. The meeting was hosted by the Downtown Neighborhood Association, a residential organization that oversees many community projects. Linda Fitzgerald, a member of the Downtown Neighborhood Association who led the effort to establish the group, spoke with WBRU News today about her hopes for the new project. “There are things we should probably look out for that we might not even be aware of, and we can learn that stuff by being part of the neighborhood watch. If we have a relationship with the police, we’ll just work better with them,” she said.   When Fitzgerald first brought up the idea of a neighborhood watch to fellow downtown residents, many envisioned pairs of local citizens patrolling the streets. But the group’s function will be much different than this model. Members will meet once a month and will be in commnication with local police and each other to learn how to effectively understand and respond to crime in the neighborhood. Neighborhood watch programs rose to prominence in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s. By 2000, nearly 41% of American households were in areas with a neighborhood watch organization. In 2008, a study by the US Justice Department found that communities with neighborhood watch programs generally have slightly less crime than those without, but the evidence is not conclusive, and some doubt the effectiveness of such programs. Community members who want to be involved or wish to voice their opinions are urged to attend the group’s monthly meetings.