PAC groups have purchased bicycles for two of the Police Department’s bicycle squads, translation equipment so Spanish-speaking residents can attend meetings, digital speed trailers to help with neighborhood speed enforcement, and motion detector lights for elderly residents. A PAC group purchased playground equipment to replace apparatus destroyed by vandalism. PAC groups have also worked to get rid of dilapidated housing in their neighborhoods.

Deciding that crime prevention is an area you are interested in volunteering in is your first step. Gainesville, Florida provides many opportunities to participate in the crime prevention process. There are many other organizations that help you learn and become more involved.

So the next question is:

What level of participation would best fit your schedule?

First is your “Neighborhood Watch” program. For many, this is their introduction to making the place they call home more secure. Your commitment may only be as a member of your block”s call tree or you could become a block captain on your block and help organize your neighbors to become a connected group that knows each other and communicates concerns and information to the proper authorities. At this level of participation, you have committed to continuously being aware of your surroundings and what is happening in your immediate area.

Attending your monthly Partners Against Crime (PAC) meeting steps up your participation and will add 2 to 3 hours per month to your schedule. Keep in mind that perfect attendance is not the goal, but rather that you attend the meetings whenever possible and carry neighborhood concerns to the meetings and contact information back to the neighborhood for problem solving.

“Neighborhood Watch” Workshop is a half-day seminar that will help to improve your awareness skills, learn what services are available and how to contact the departments and organizations providing them.

Project Safe Neighborhood is a scheduled event that allows citizens to assist the Gainesville Police Department with door-to-door canvassing after a major crime incident has occurred. Individuals accompany police officers to homes in the surrounding area of a crime scene and have conversations with residents about what they think occurred, observations about the individuals involved and what they might have noticed. Project Safe Neighborhoods also conducts special programs from time to time for gang awareness and other areas related to helping families and preventing crimes.