The town was divided up into sections and our department held individual meetings with each one of them at the Town Hall in an attempt to recruit volunteer Neighborhood Crime Watch Captains and to generate interest for the program. The first, new Neighborhood Crime Watch group was formed on Beacon Place that same month, consisting of approximately fifteen homes, and a sign was posted on their block. The Munster Police Department also began to send out this newsletter to the volunteer Block Captains in an effort to keep residents informed about recent crime activity and important updates from the police department.
Fifteen years later, our program now consists of over 100 active Neighborhood Crime Watch groups and thousands of participating residents. Signage has been posted all throughout town and our quarterly meetings are always well-attended by the public. A separate newsletter for the Munster Business Crime Watch Program was implemented in January 2007.
We appreciate the continued, dedicated service of our many Neighborhood Crime Watch Captains who help to keep their neighbors informed throughout the year. For more information about getting involved with this program, please contact Officer James Ghrist, Crime Prevention Officer, at 219-836-6639 or jghrist@munster.org.