Program Overview

Goals for the Program

The goals for the Amerige Heights Neighborhood Watch program are as follows:

  • Create a network of connected residents on each street
  • Create awareness and a greater sense of security for residents
  • Create a friendly environment for residents to meet each other
  • Create trust between neighbors since we are in this together
  • Create a Safety Plan to help guide residents in securing their homes
  • Create a Response Plan to assist the Fullerton Police Dept if thefts occur
  • Coordinate reoccurring police matters with the Fullerton Police Zone 1 Area Commander, Lieutenant Tim Kandler
  • Use each Street Group to support your surrounding neighbors (package pickups, watching for irrigation leaks, notify each other about suspicious door-to-door vendors, etc.)
  • Use each Street Group to inform residents of important Amerige Heights information and updates
  • Area and Street Groups can organize their own social events (block-parties, Halloween Decorating, Holiday Decorating, etc..)
  • Identify residents that are Fullerton CERT certified to assist the community during natural disasters
  • Help neighbors with emergency preparedness
  • Protecting the privacy of residents as we come together under this program
  • And lastly, living up to the Amerige Heights motto of “It’s Neighborly Here”

Definitions

Here are some definitions for the terminology that is used in the Amerige Heights Neighborhood Watch Program:

AHNW – Amerige Heights Neighborhood Watch

Homes – References all single family homes, townhomes and condos in the Amerige Heights HOA.

Street Group – All the homes on a specific street will be part of a Street Group.  Depending on their location within Amerige Heights, Street Groups will contain anywhere from 10 – 25 homes.

Street Captain – An Amerige Heights homeowner that coordinates and welcomes all the homes in their Street Group.  They keep their Street email list up to date and pass along important information to their Street Group. 

Street email/text list – Every Street Group will have an email/text list just for the homes in their group. This list will be used by the Street Captains to communicate with the homes in their Street Group.

Street Captain Responsibilities

Each street or couple of streets in Amerige Heights will be broken up into groups of 10-25 homes depending on their location and proximity to each other.  Each Street Group will have a Captain.  The Captian’s responsibilities are as follows:

  • Be the point of contact for their Street Group
  • Reach out to every resident in their Street Group and invite them to particiapate in the AHNW Program.
  • Maintain the email/text list for their Street Group.
  • Keep their Street Group updated of any incidents
  • Work with the other street Captains to maintain the overall success of the Program
  • Captains will receive a complete overview of the program and be trained in the administrative steps.
  • Organize fun social events for their group (block-parties, Halloween Contest, Holiday Lighting Contest, etc..) if they choose to do so.
  • Share safety information with the other Street Captains and Area Leads so that we are all on the same page to keep the community safe.

Participating in the Program

There are a few active Street Groups currently up and running in Amerige Heights. If you would like your street to participate in the program, please speak to your neighbors to find out who would like to be your Street Captain. Please have them email info@ahnw.net and they will be provided with all the necessary information to get their Street Group organized.  Once they have enough members signed up in the Street Group, a Neighborhood Watch Program sign will be installed on their street.

Resident’s Privacy

Maintaining resident’s privacy is one of the core goals of the program.  Only your Street Captain will have your email address which they will add to your street’s email list.  Only members on your street can email the group.  No spam, marketing or emails from anyone else are able to email your street group. Each street group can also decide to share their phone numbers with each other and to use a text thread to communicate..

Organizational Structure of the Program

Many Neighborhood Watch Programs contain a total of 10-100 homes.  The Amerige Heights Neighborhood Watch Program covers 1244 homes.  Because of its size, it will be organized under the following groups:

  • 80 Street Groups – consists of 10-25 homes. Managed by a Street Captain.
  • 12 Area Groups – consists of 4-8 Street Groups. Managed by an Area Lead.
  • Amerige Heights Group – consists of all 12 Area Groups. Guidance provided by the Safety Committee. Interfaces with the city of Fullerton for AHNW signs on the public streets and with the AH HOA for signs on the private streets. Responsible for the overall AHNW Program. 

Signs

The AHNW Leadership Team is working with the City of Fullerton to install the AHNW Signs at the 8 public entrances to the community.  Once those are installed, the team will work to install a sign for every street group that has been set up.

Safety Plan

Below is a list of suggestions provided by multiple Amerige Heights residents for homeowners to be aware of.  If you would like to add a suggestion to the list, please email it to info@ahnw.net. Please always refer to the Fullerton Police Department’s Crime Prevention and Safety Tips page for the most accurate plan. 

  • Lock your doors & windows
  • Install/Update your alarm system
  • Install cameras
  • Monitor alerts that are received from video door bells.
  • Install security signs on side gates and on the rear sliding door
  • Lock side gates
  • Exterior lighting – Check exterior lights to make sure they are properly functioning. Install new exterior lighting if needed. 
  • Report suspicious activity to Fullerton Police Dept
  • Schedule valuable goods on your home insurance policy. Without declaring your valuables, insurance will NOT pay above the standard limit (each policy varies, but the standard limit and deductible are usually about the same)
  • License plate recognition cameras – Ideal for homes that are on a corner/near entrances/exits within the community. Can provide the Police Dept with detailed information to follow up on.
  • Inform your neighbor if you see/hear suspicious activity around their home
  • If going on vacation, submit a Vacation Check request with the Fullerton Police Dept.
  • Pickup old newspapers and flyers from the front door.