Within Occoquan Forest, we have an active “Neighborhood Watch” program which is staffed entirely by neighborhood volunteers. A watch coordinator acts as the point-of-contact for the community and is the Occoquan Forest liaison between the Forest and thePrince William County(PWC) Police Department. The coordinator prepares and adjusts watch schedules and passes down information to the watch volunteers.

The program functions quite simply:

1. Solicit neighborhood volunteers
2. Have the volunteers attend a one-hour training session
3. Prepare a rotational weekly-watch schedule
4. Slowly cruise through the neighborhood (with magnetic “Watch” signs attached to the car doors) watching out for anything unusual or suspicious-looking
5. Immediately contact the PWC Police Non-Emergency (or Emergency #911) number and report such activity
6. Document findings in our “Neighborhood Watch Log Book” and inform the watch coordinator if warranted

There are a few rules which you will learn once you attend the training, i.e.: do not carry weapons, do not become confrontational, try to gather as much information as possible before calling the police, and preferably no women watching by themselves. The entire trip around the neighborhood takes approximately 30 minutes and it is preferred that the watch be performed at random times in the evening hours.

We have a quiet and safe neighborhood and that can partly be attributed to having an active “Neighborhood Watch Program.”