Police department starts program that CARES
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The Cops And Resident Enhanced Streets (CARES) program will be a crime prevention/quality-of-life program. The program incorporates qualities of the Neighborhood Watch Program, which focuses on crime, and adds quality-of-life issues, which focus on keeping neighborhoods clean as a way to deter crime and increase property values.
Like the Neighborhood Watch, the program will establish a partnership between the police department and citizens to reduce crime in their communities. This program will go a step farther by establishing a partnership between neighbors to increase quality of life.
While getting to know their neighbors and keeping crime out, neighbors will be encouraged to maintain their property and take pride in their neighborhood. A nicer neighborhood increases property values and discourages criminal activity, according to McMinnville Police Chief Charlie Sewell.
Sewell points to the broken window theory to illustrate his point. According to the theory, if a neighborhood is allowed to deteriorate, crime will increase. Allowing broken windows, trash, broken-down vehicles, or a messy yard is a visual sign no one cares about the area.
On the other hand, an area that is well kept gives a sign that crime won’t be tolerated. While warding off crime, well-kept yards and homes increase the property values of everyone in the neighborhood.
Benefits to the program include:
‘ Citizens will be quicker to call the police;
‘ Members get involved with their neighborhood;
‘ Neighbors get to know neighbors;
‘ Knowing the facts instead of perception;
‘ Reduction of crime;
‘ Increased property values.
Although the Neighborhood Watch Program is widespread, McMinnville is the first to have a CARES program.
‘This is ours,’ said Sewell. ‘I wanted a program unique to McMinnville. No one else has a CARES Neighborhood Program.’
The program is currently looking for neighborhoods that would like to join. Those that join now will have the unique opportunity to help establish the program as well as give input to what future meetings will include, such as personal safety, identity theft and fire safety.
The CARES Program is in addition to the TIPS sheets, Citizens Police Academy and National Night Out started by the department to bring communities together, prevent crime, begin a department-citizen partnership, and increase the quality of life for McMinnville’s residents.
Those interested in establishing a CARES program in their neighborhood, please contact the Special Services Division at 473-3808.