Neighborhood Watch

We recently went from having Neighborhood Watch as a standing committee to a separate entity from the board because we felt that it may be a liability to have NW as a committee. How do other HOA's handle Neighborhood Watch?

We're still trying to organize an NW, our local police department suggests it be separate from anything HOA. But they recommend the NW give updates too the HOA just to keep everyone informed.

I did this in my neighborhood/HOA. YES you should keep the neighborhood watch SEPARATE from the HOA business. There are several reasons for this. #1 being that this is an individual participation and NOT mandaotory. Which means no required dues or participation. #2 Renters and owners can participat EQUALLY. #3 HOA funds shouldn't mix with community functions such as block parties or NW's support. It can really cause a wrinkle amongst owners who don't want to participate but are still paying.

Now there is an involvement between the two. It should be APPROVED by the board that it can exist. There is also a SIGN that goes with NW participation that is provided by the program. It has to be installed on the HOA property as a show of participation. That would have to be approved/recognized if necessary if there are rules involving signage.

All in all it is an excellent program worth the effort. Just keep it as a regular community participaton event as to keep the apples from the oranges...

Our neighborhood watches used to be organized by our city police department. We got reports on neighborhood crimes from the police and I, as the captain, merely copied and distributed these copies to members. It never was directly associated with our HOA board or a committee.

Neighborhood watches are not meant to police for violations of HOA rules and compliance with HOA policies. They are meant to deter crimes and to check for possible criminal conduct. When something untoward is suspected or observed, the police are to be contacted. If someone is acting like a vigilante or as the HOA police, then that is not in keeping with the block watches with which I am familiar. Accordingly, there should be no liability connected with block watches, since contacting the police about suspicious conduct is not illegal. If, however, a person is taking on more than the traditional block watch function and is harassing people, for example, that is another and more complicated matter that has nothing to do with block watches.