National Neighborhood Watch

A Division of the National Sheriffs' Association

Crime prevention through neighborhood cohesiveness and collaboration.

Login

Academy Watch

Academy Watch is a series of self-paced training sessions and resources designed for those working with and building neighborhood watch groups. Materials are designed for law enforcement deputies/officers and citizens. Watch group, community, and faith-based leaders are at the core of our focus and benefit from the training offered. Become a National Neighborhood Watch member today to take the self-paced course!!

Course Descriptions:

NW 101: How to Start a Neighborhood Watch

Neighborhood Watch is undoubtedly one of the oldest and most well known crime prevention concepts in history. This course goes over what are the 5 basic steps to starting a neighborhood watch group. You're walked through what to do and how to organize a group.

NW 102: Improve Your Look Out, Watch Out Skills

Being an active an alert citizen is more than just watching out for your neighbors. Participants will come away with a better understanding of what to report and when to report it. Join Cpt. Cahalen as she walks participants through the basics of observation and reporting.

NW 103: Conducting an Effective Meeting

This course provides instruction on a wide range of topics relating specifically to the planning and conducting of meetings. Participants will develop skills in: arranging meeting logistics, developing agendas, facilitating the meeting, managing disagreements and post meeting follow-up activities.

NW 104: Target Hardening Your Home

In this class participants learn a specific methodology on how to evaluate homes for security and general information on how to work with the public to make our neighborhoods more safe and secure. From evaluating locks to assessing alarms participants will receive a wealth of information on home security that they will be able to present to other Neighborhood Watch leaders and volunteers.

NW 105: Volunteer Management

Participants will learn the basics of volunteer management and leadership including recruitment, interviews and placement, motivation, leadership and team building and evaluation and retention. This course also features a wealth of information on recruitment and selection of volunteers and the various types of leadership styles and roles that comprise Neighborhood Watch. 

NW 106: Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning focuses on the key elements of developing a strategic plan for both the leader and each one of their Neighborhood Watch groups. It is important that law enforcers and/or the leaders are familiar with strategic planning and that they develop and utilize their own strategic plans when managing one or more Neighborhood Watch programs. In this course law enforcers will learn the process of strategic planning, how to conduct neighborhood assessments and prioritize initiatives and how to build realistic and actionable plans.

Become a National Neighborhood Watch member today to take the self-paced course. Once you complete the above trainings and pass the exam you will receive a certificate of completion.