Steps to Developing a Vertical Watch© Program

 

"Step One"
"Step Two"
"Step Three"
"Step Four"
"Step Five"
"Step Six"
"Step Seven"

 

  Step One:  Call the crime prevention officer at your local police station. In Toronto, to contact the local police station, phone 808-2222, or call the station number directly. All Metro Police station numbers include the first three digits 808 and the last two digits 00. The fourth and fifth digits are the Division numbers. For example, for 51 Division, the direct phone number is 808-5100. For 52 Division, the direct phone number is 808-5200, and so on.

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  Step Two:  Ask the crime prevention officer to contact your property manager, (be it private management or city/province/federal). Have the officer explain that you wish to start a Vertical Watch Program in your building and the benefits of establishing such a program.

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  Step Three: The meeting: Ask the crime prevention officer to set up the first meeting. Besides yourself, this meeting should involve other residents of your building, the property management, security personnel (if available), and anyone else you think might be a valuable resource.

This meeting should be held in your building, if possible. If you have a recreation room or gym, ask if you can use it. If not, find out what is available nearby. Usually there is a school auditorium, a church, a community centre or a library. These facilities usually have the space for community meetings.

Really try to meet in the apartment building. Apartment dwellers do not like to walk to meetings.

Post notices of the meeting in the lobby, near the elevators, in the laundry room and recreation centre, and on every floor, and spread the word in your building. Ask everyone you come in contact with to pass along information about the meeting to other residents. Your property management may copy the notices for you. If not, the police may be able to do so. Usually they supply printed meeting notices for delivery to each apartment and for posting.

If your property management is supportive, ask them to write and help distribute a notice, announcing plans to establish a Vertical Watch Program. Printed on building letterhead, this notice should encourage residents to attend the meeting, and/or sign up for the program at the property manager's office. (A sample notice is available under "exhibits") After your first meeting, another notice can be sent out, if needed, to encourage more people to join. (also included under "exhibits") If more members are still needed, send our a third letter to each apartment. (also included under "exhibits")

All key resource people should attend the first meeting of the Vertical Watch Program. At this first meeting the crime prevention officer will describe the nature of the Program. In doing so, the officer will explain to residents that if they witness anything unusual, or if they suspect something is wrong, they should immediatelycall the police or apartment security personnel. The officer will also explain that residents are not required to give their names when reporting their concerns. (Some apartment security personnel do not accept anonymous calls. Check this out prior to asking residents to call them.)

Explain to residents that while they likely can report incidents anonymously, both the police and security personnel prefer to know who is calling. When you give your name and phone number to the authorities, they know your call is legitimate. It also makes it easier to conduct follow-up investigations, if necessary. This said, they understand and respect people's need to remain anonymous.

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  Step Four:  Ask residents to participate actively in the Vertical Watch Program as floor captains. The first meeting is also a good time to ask for volunteers to go floor to floor to canvas residents to sign on as Program members. Volunteers should canvas the building in pairs, and avoid apartments where there are known problems.

Volunteers should receive the following:

·  the "Floor Captain's Duties"

·  the Metro Police booklet, "Crime Prevention for the Home". While written primarily for home owners, this booklet contains information that is useful to apartment dwellers. (Showing this pamphlet to building residents tells people that the police support your efforts.) If your police dept. has ample copies request them to give out to residents who answer their door regardless of whether they sign on as a volunteer or general member. This may bring them around later if they have any hesitations.

·  a "New Member's Sheet", (included in "exhibits"), and a "Points to Highlight Sheet", (included in "exhibits"). (The second sheet runs down the major benefits of the Vertical Watch Program. This easy-to-follow summary is a useful tool for floor captains when seeking new members.)

·  Volunteers also receive a handful of Vertical Watch Program pamphlets*, (in your area you may get Neighbourhood Watch pamphlets) to give to sceptical residents. Volunteers are told to explain to apartment dwellers the similarities and differences between Vertical Watch and Neighbourhood Watch. Since the Neighbourhood Watch Program is designed for homeowners, the information in the pamphlet may be confusing to apartment dwellers. (* these pamphlets should be available at a later date from this site for printing also)

Each new Vertical Watch Program member is offered a Vertical Watch (if available in your area) or Neighbourhood Watch pamphlet, and a sticker with the phone number of the building security if available. If the building does not have security, stickers with the "911" emergency number should be available from your local police department.

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  Step Five:,  The names of new members are collected by volunteers and recorded on the Members' Sheet. Names should be printed clearly, to avoid problems with understanding handwriting. After checking for spelling and accuracy, the information on new members should be given to the Chairperson(s) who complile(s) a master Members' List. The original list of names collected is retained by the Chairperson.

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  Step Six: Vertical Watch Signs.  When half the residents have signed on as members and worked with the Police to have the Vertical Watch Program in place in your building, write to the Commissioner, City Works Services, 2nd Floor, City Hall, Toronto, Ontario M5H 2N2. (This only applies to buildings in the City of Toronto. If you live outside the City, contact your local police department. They can tell you where to write to obtain signs for your building. Vertical Watch signs are so far only available in Toronto, so outside the City you will receive Neighbourhood Watch signs for your building.) Along with this letter, send a hand-drawn map of where you would like your Vertical Watch signs placed. This is important! Normally three (3) Vertical Watch signs are erected. But depeneding on circumstances, (size of building/surrounding area), more signs may be applied for. Please be patient. It can take up to three months to install the signs. If it takes longer, contact your local Councillor, and ask him/her to investigate the delay.

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  Step Seven:  You are now well on your way to being a working Vertical Watch Program. Contact your crime prevention officer and ask him/her to supply you with an appropriate number of Vertical Watch stickers. If none are available, use Neighbourhood Watch door stickers instead. Window stickers are of no use, they are not visible beyond windows on the main floor. Once you have these stickers, arrange your first general meeting.

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THE THREE BASIC RULES OF VERTICAL WATCH

1.  No Patrolling:
It is dangerous to be seen as looking for drug trafficking activities.

2.  No Confrontations:
It is dangerous to confront drug trafficers or users directly.

3.  Information discussed at floor captains' meetings is strictly confidential.

  verwatch@netcom.ca

 

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