Crime & Safety

Citizens Banding Together To Combat Crime

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," said Newark Police.

Neighbors are banding together in Newark to fight crimes with familiarity.

Two neighborhood watch groups formed in the past two weeks, according to Tim Jones, Newark Police Department Community Engagement Officer.  

Magnolia Street residents formed a group on Wednesday; Bettencourt Street residents organized into a group on August 21, according to public records.  Jones said that the goal of forming these groups is to empower citizens to get to know their neighbors and use the police to keep them safe.

“We don’t want our people roaming the streets,” Jones said.  “We want them to call us when they see suspicious activity,” he said.

Newark now has 47 neighborhood watch groups, according to Jones.  The groups work with the police to learn about the latest trends in crimes, and ways to cope with disasters.

“When the big one hits for us, which is most likely going to be an earthquake, we want our people comfortable talking to each other and ready,” he said.
 
He also wants them to be prepared for people who may try to take advantage of them. Recently, people have been posing as city employees to gain access to homes.  

In Fremont and Union City, people are going door-to-door asking residents to let them in to perform services such as survey for PG&E lines, investigate snake infestations, and tame unruly trees.  While the homeowner is distracted, an accomplice plunders the home of jewelry and other valuables.  

"These guys are very charming," Jones said. "But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," he said. 



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Newark