The Good Neighbor Project
MPD's new Crime Prevention Coordinator, Emily Samson is bringing a new twist to our Neighborhood Watch program. Officer Samson has been very busy since being asked to revitalize and update our neighborhood safety initiatives. Part of that new look is to emphasize opportunities for neighbors to connect with neighbors in positive and inclusive ways. Emily has been meeting with officers and neighborhood associations across the city to promote what will soon become The Good Neighbor Project.
Here's how Emily describes it:
The Good Neighbor Project is, foremost, about partnership between neighbors.
It is about developing multiple, creative ways to become involved in our neighbors' lives-for example, by building a community garden, organizing a neighborhood clean-up day, or planning a block party. Crime prevention is most successful where neighbors foster open communication and contact.
The Good Neighbor Project is about learning from programs that already work and shaping new plans and ideas that build cohesive, safe neighborhoods.
Secondly, the Good Neighbor Project is about partnering with the Madison Police Department to redefine Neighborhood Watch groups. Our focus incorporates not only eyes and ears, but hands and hearts. It is a place for interweaving officers and citizens, knitting together the people who live in our neighborhoods with the people who work in our neighborhoods. Our goal is to increase overall safety through community engagement and innovative problem solving.
The Good Neighbor Project is where, truly, "the police are the public and public are the police." (Sir Robert Peel) It is where we foster familiarity, comfort, and connectivity. It is where we come together and get to know one another, better.
You can hear more about it tonight at Good Neighbor Night (formerly, Watch Wednesday) at the MPD Training Center. The training center is located at 5702 Femrite Drive. The presentation begins at 7:00 pm. We hope to see all of our good neighbors there.
