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Police want extra sets of eyes in Milton neighborhoods

MILTON — For the past two months, vandals have been throwing rocks and eggs at windows in the Green Hill subdivision.

Milton Police Chief Jerry Schuetz would like to get some extra eyes watching for the culprits.

"Citizens looking out for each other, being another set of eyes and ears in the community, identifying suspicious behavior will hopefully help us bring these people to justice," he said.

The incidents are examples of how a Neighborhood Watch program in Milton could be helpful, he said.

Jim Martin, crime prevention officer, started looking into a program after a community meeting in January. The meeting was to discuss recent thefts from vehicles, and several attendees said they would be willing to help lead a Neighborhood Watch program.

The city will host a meeting for anyone interested in being a block captain at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Milton Community House, 20 Parkview Drive.

The department will decide where the first Neighborhood Watch programs will be depending on who volunteers to be captains, Martin said.

"I'm trying to establish what the level of interest is in Milton," he said. "So far, it looks like there's pretty good interest."

Block captains will organize monthly meetings for Neighborhood Watch members. Captains and police will tell members about recent trends and incidents and train them to watch for suspicious activity, Martin said.

"The actual program is actually run more by the citizens than it is by police," he said.

Group members could even watch residents' homes when they know the residents are on vacation, he said.

The first meeting will focus on people interested in being block captains, not members in general, Martin said. After that, captains will organize teams and recruit members.