A Proactive Approach to Keeping Your Neighborhood Safe

The right neighborhood security practices can give you and your neighbors confidence and peace of mind when it comes to guarding against crime. Keeping your community safe requires a joint effort among homeowners, neighborhood leaders, and law enforcement. 

Statistics show that in 2020, 6.45 million property crimes were reported in the United States. The theft of items from motor vehicles was the most common crime reported. These offenses can result in tens of billions of dollars in losses each year.

Of course, when taking preventative measures, you aren’t alone. The best neighborhood security solutions allow residents to work together with the police, deterring unlawful activity when possible and providing law enforcement with actionable evidence should a crime occur. 

A proactive approach to security, paired with the right tools and strategy, can lead to safer communities and peace of mind for you and your neighbors.

Want to ensure your home stays as safe as possible? Here are 5 simple tips from former law enforcement officer and Flock Safety Customer Success Manager, Sam Meyer. 

Get a Big Dog

It may seem old-fashioned — but it works! 

Not only are dogs loving companions that enrich our lives, but they can also deter people from breaking into your home. While it’s true that even a big dog can have a bark worse than its bite, a suspect doesn’t want to find out. 

A study by researchers at the University of Louisville found that homes with the presence of dogs see a measurable reduction in property crimes, versus homes without dogs.

People engaging in criminal activity tend to seek out the path of least resistance. As soon as a suspect sees or hears your big family friend, he or she is likely to move on in search of a less risky target. 

Get to Know Your Neighbors

Your neighbors are your biggest allies in maintaining neighborhood security. If you know your neighbors, and they know you, they can be more attuned to noticing something that may be amiss. 

Your neighbors can watch out for and report any crime, as well as take in any mail or packages that might attract unwanted attention to a vacant house when you go away on vacation.

By joining a community watch program, you can take a proactive role in neighborhood safety. By staying vigilant and coordinating with fellow residents, you have a better chance of spotting unusual activity in your community and can quickly alert law enforcement.

Remove Valuables from Your Vehicle

Vehicles are a notoriously easy target for thieves looking to steal. Remember to remove important items from your car, especially if you park outside or on a public parking deck.

Some items that suspects commonly target include:

·        Money, such as loose change and bills, credit cards, or wallets

·        Purses or handbags

·        Gym bags

·        Electronics such as phones or tablets

·        Mounted GPS devices

Remembering to lock your car and activate the alarm, take the key with you, and park in well-lit areas can help prevent vehicle and property theft.

Consider Investing in a Doorbell Camera

Doorbell cameras can be useful for establishing a time frame for when a crime occurred and even capturing details like whether the thief arrived in a vehicle.

However, when used alone, they often fail to provide police with the objective evidence they need to solve the investigation. Even a partial license plate number can give police enough evidence to take action when investigating a crime.

License plate reader cameras provide communities the ability to capture critical information about vehicles, including plate numbers and other unique identifying vehicle features.

Pair Your Neighborhood Security Solution with Flock Safety Cameras 

If a crime occurs, you can pair the timestamp recorded by your doorbell camera with the vehicle description from your neighborhood’s Flock Safety cameras to solve the case. 

Flock license plate cameras use patented state-of-the-art technology called Vehicle Fingerprint™ to capture a vehicle’s unique characteristics that police can take action on, including:

·        License plate numbers

·        Partial, missing, or covered plates

·        Make, model, and color, of a vehicle

·        Aftermarket modifications

·        Other distinguishing features such as bumper stickers

This information helps law enforcement produce leads and follow the evidence, without relying on potentially biased or inaccurate eyewitness accounts.

Regardless of your current security solutions, Flock cameras are easy to install anywhere in a community. They use battery and solar power and don’t require new infrastructure to be installed, and their subtle design means they won’t detract from your neighborhood aesthetic. They even use their own network, so they can function in areas with a sub-optimal wifi signal.

When you use Flock cameras, your residents’ privacy is protected. Flock cameras don’t use facial recognition technology or otherwise collect data about residents beyond vehicle and license plate information. You can customize your Flock system to allow residents to opt out of being detected by your license plate reader cameras by placing them on a Safe List.

Your community owns 100% of the data collected by your cameras, and only those with special permissions can access it. After 30 days, the data is erased.

By using Flock cameras and following the right neighborhood security practices, you can be proactive in helping police prevent and solve crimes. Book a free demo to see how Flock license plate reading cameras can protect your community today.

Flock Safety is a public safety operating system that helps communities and law enforcement in 5000+ cities work together to eliminate crime, protect privacy, and mitigate bias. We build devices that capture objective evidence and use machine learning to create and deliver unbiased investigative leads to law enforcement. Flock Safety serves 5000 cities in 45+ states and is helping solve hundreds of crimes every day.