Poplar Bluff Neighborhood Watch organizer Rob Duckett had hoped originally that a handful of people would attend an introductory meeting for the group Tuesday evening at Fitch-Hillis Funeral Home.
Instead, he was pleasantly surprised when about 60 people showed.
“It makes me feel very good,” Duckett said. “My original intention was just hopefully getting a storefront and maybe a dozen to 20 people show up.”
Also joining Duckett was Poplar Bluff Police Sgt. Dusty Johnson, PBPD Detective Dan Mustain and Poplar Bluff Fire Chief Ralph Stucker.
With Neighborhood Watch, residents organize to keep their neighborhoods safe and secure by keeping an eye out for suspicious activity and also reporting crime when it does occur.
“As I said in the meeting here, we’re limited on the officers that can be in an area at one time and Neighborhood Watch is an excellent tool for us as a police department, to be used as (our) eyes and ears (when) we’re not around to help solve crimes and help us keep an eye on people,” Johnson said. “It’s everybody else that are helping neighbors trying to get a (sense of) community back into the town.”
Studies have shown that Neighborhood Watch reduces the crime rate in areas where the watch is active by 3 to 16%. That reduction can make a difference, saving police departments hundreds of hours each year.
“In Poplar Bluff, the crime is there, and we’re hoping that we can deter some,” Duckett said. “We won’t make it go away, but we definitely want to make a big dent in the ones (such as) the property crimes, the thefts, the crimes of opportunity — that would be where we’re shooting for right now.”
A 3% reduction in the crime rate also “frees up 17 days (a year) that we can (go) further on investigations, that we can look a little bit more into crimes that are being committed,” Johnson said, “and a little bit more longer on calls as individuals to try to help the citizens of Poplar Bluff.”
Several people who attended a mayoral listening post last month also attended Tuesday’s meeting.
One of those people was Tammy Ryan, who lives on Maud Street. She saw Tuesday’s meeting as a positive first step.
“We have to start somewhere — and if I watch out for mine, if it moves to another block or another street, then (those people) have to be proactive as well in fighting crime in their area,” Ryan said. “I can’t (watch) the whole city — but together, if we all start in somewhere, make an effort and be diligent in our efforts, then it’s going to make a difference.”
Paula Gowen, who is an administrator on the “Butler County Missouri Crime Watch” page on Facebook, was at the mayor’s listening post last month and also attended Tuesday’s meeting. She also expressed optimism after the event.
“I just feel like anything to help is going to bring us one step closer together as a community,” Gowen said. “Instead of people being afraid to walk out of their homes, criminals will be afraid to come in them, because they know we are watching (as) the eyes and the ears to the police department and we’ve got to take our town back.”
The neighborhood watch concept reminds Gowen of her childhood.
“I grew up in Detroit,” Gowen said. “We moved here when I was 14, but there were Neighborhood Watch signs everywhere. Neighbors all looked out for neighbors. They would stand and yell over the porch, ‘Did you see those guys walking down the street last night? What did they want?’”
Duckett also was pleased with the positive tone.
“From what I read and accounts that were reported to me, the last meeting that was held by the mayor seemed to have a negative connotation by those that were there,” Duckett said. “This one, from what I’m hearing, people are going out the door very positive, very hopeful … and they’re wanting to have more information given to them.”
In addition to reducing the crime rate, Neighborhood Watch also provides other benefits to other entities — such as the fire department and other city departments — by encouraging citizens to be more observant.
“While it is called a Neighborhood Crime Watch program, it isn’t limited to just crime,” Duckett said. “It will reach out into the fire department or will reach out to Municipal Utilities and the Street Department because we’re watching out for our neighborhoods,” Duckett said. “It brings a community together when we’re watching out for each other.”