Neighborhood alert is a citizen-driven crime prevention and safety program that helps neighbors work together to identify security issues in their communities. It typically involves collaboration between local law enforcement and community members who report suspicious activity to the police and communicate with each other about security concerns via user-friendly digital reporting and alert systems. These apps often work in conjunction with home security systems, and they can be very effective in helping to deter criminal activity.

Ideally, a good neighborhood alert system will help to build trust between residents and also be useful in helping to identify possible scams or other unwanted activities. Unfortunately, these kinds of systems are prone to abuse by scammers who can use them as a way to gain the trust of unsuspecting residents and request personal information or access to homes under the guise of promoting the group’s mission.

This is particularly true for systems that blindly alert nearby residents of 911 Calls for Service, where just because somebody called the police doesn’t necessarily mean a crime took place. This was illustrated to me recently when I received a “neighborhood alert” that claimed an incident on my street (Robert E Lee in NW NOPD’s coverage area) had resulted in burglary and damage to vehicles. The footer of the email cites NOPD and notes that the incident was tagged with a description and item number, L-36789-20.

To help neighbors become more aware of their surroundings, many neighborhoods and apartment communities have groups or pages on Facebook, Nextdoor, Ring, and other social media platforms. Neighborhood and apartment association leaders can also set up meetings to discuss security-related topics. The city’s Alert Neighbor Program is a great resource for assisting neighborhood block clubs in working with the police and other partners to identify persisting problems in their neighborhoods, including providing funding for physical improvements like signs and lighting.