FREEPORT — Do you know everyone in your neighborhood?
One of Mayor Jodi Miller's goals is to make sure you do. She's urging Freeport residents to come up with ways to improve attendance at neighborhood watch meetings.
"I just don't want to get stuck in the rut of the past," she said. "Just because it's how we used to do things doesn't necessarily mean it's the most effective way to do it now."
Neighborhood watch meetings are held in each of the city's seven wards monthly or bi-monthly. Miller said it's not uncommon for attendance at the meetings to barely reach double-digits even though some wards have about 4,000 people.
Miller has asked MetLife officials to help brainstorm ways to make the neighborhood surrounding the downtown Freeport business safer. If that works, then more neighborhoods and businesses could be brought into the fold.
One way the city may encourage more neighborhood involvement is by asking businesses to set aside about 30 minutes once a month during lunchtime. City representative may come to the business to host a question-and-answer session, allowing employees to get the type of information they would normally get at a neighborhood watch meeting. The specific details for how this may work have yet to be decided upon, Miller said.
Neighborhood watch meetings usually take place on a weekday at 6 p.m. or later. Miller said professionals would be more likely to attend meetings if they were held during lunch breaks.
"Having the meeting at 6 p.m. on a Monday, the family person is just not going to come out because they’ve been at work all day long," said. "Now they’re home and they’ve got their kids."
Though the meetings are currently called neighborhood watches, most function more similarly to a town hall gathering. Meetings are held by the ward's alderman and are always attended by a Freeport police officer who offers information about crime in the area and tips on how to prevent future problems.
A representative of the city is usually on hand to discuss any projects, issues or upcoming events before the meetings turn into more of a question-and-answer session.
"At that point, it's almost like an open mic," said Alderman Peter McClanathan, 2nd Ward. "What kind of issues would they like to see addressed?"
Miller is open to changing the name of the meetings, if that would help attendance. There have been instances where meetings listed as "town halls" have drastically outdrawn neighborhood watches, she said.
She's challenged each alderman to find a handful of people in their wards who would be interested in taking on a greater role in hosting watch meetings that can be more centralized to each person's specific neighborhood. The idea is that the more people someone knows in their surrounding area, the more likely they will be to notice when something goes awry.
"Standing in your front door, do you know your neighbors at all?" she said. "Most probably don’t, so how do we break that cycle of being all by yourself? If I see something going on at my neighbors house and I know that’s not their car, I’m going to be a lot quicker to call and say that I see something suspicious."
Attentive residents are one of the most effective ways to prevent crime in a neighborhood. Watch meetings are a great way for citizens to find out what's going on in their neighborhood and know what to look for, said Chief Todd Barkalow.
"Many times it will dispel some common beliefs about what may or may not be true," Barkalow said. "Neighborhood watch is a great way to talk directly to the citizens and answer any questions they may have."
He compared meeting attendance to voter turnout. When there's an issue such as a string of burglaries in a neighborhood or a big issue that needs to be voted on, more people show up. The goal is to get people to show up before issues arise.
"It’s about the neighborhood watching out for one another and that’s really what makes them work," he said. "That’s what makes neighborhoods safe, not confronting anyone, but being good witnesses and calling the police. They can be that extra set of eyes and ears."
Anyone with ideas about how to improve their neighborhood's safety should reach out to their alderman or another city representative, Miller said. The people who live in a particular area are often more attuned to its needs.
"What’s relevant for the 1st Ward doesn’t necessarily mean it’s relevant for 5th Ward," Miller said. "We need to think outside the box and make sure each neighborhood feels like their needs are being addressed."
Derrick Mason: 815-232-0133; derrick.mason@journalstandard.com; @derrickhmason
Meeting schedule
1st Ward
Schwarz Funeral Home, 608 S. Park Blvd.
Fourth Tuesday every other month at 6 p.m.., beginning Jan. 23
2nd Ward
Douglas Village
Third Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m.
Countryside Estates Neighborhood
Third Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m.
Meetings at 3002 Farmdale Lane
3rd Ward
St. Mary's Church, 704 S. State Ave.
Third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m.
4th Ward
Lincoln Mall, 1265 W. Galena Ave.
Fourth Monday of each month at 6 p.m.
5th Ward
First Church of the Nazarene, 125 E. Empire St.
Third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.
6th Ward
Schwarz Funeral Home, 608 S. Park Blvd.
First Thursday of every other month at 6 p.m.
7th Ward
Central Fire Station, 1650 S. Walnut Ave.
Fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.
Source: Freeport Police Department