I have been going to my local neighborhood watch meetings monthly for more than a year now, and as a result of participating in this program, I truly believe everyone needs to get involved, including our downtown businesses. Our neighborhoods surround the downtown district.

If our neighborhoods become infested with crime, wouldn’t the business district also become infested? We need to unite, pull our resources and reclaim our streets while we still can.

When I first started going to the neighborhood watch meetings, the street I live on was frightening, to say the least. Now, due to the help of our police department, city management and our neighborhood watch program, our children can safely play outside again. This was accomplished by neighbors using their eyes, ears and mouths. Having a safe neighborhood starts with us. We have to do our part in helping the police prevent and combat crime. We see it, we report it, the police respond.

Please join the neighborhood watch program. Establish new ones, reactivate old ones. Existing programs and resources are not being utilized to the best of their capabilities. If united, we could become the force needed to create a safe neighborhood for all of us. By communicating, we can continue to be a community.

The police need and want our help. Please open your eyes, ears and mouths. You may not think this concerns you, but it does. This concerns all of us, after all we are all neighbors. Please contact the police department for more information about this program, our city needs your help.

Sharon Brown

Franklin