While everyone is still being encouraged to call 911 in the event of an emergency, Richard Heimkes who helped organize the Farwell Neighborhood Watch, said those hesitant to call 911, can call a block captain who can check out the issue.

“They’re the ones the next door neighbor and those blocks away communicate with,” said Heimkes.
For example, some of the things neighborhood watch programs look for include: lights on in the house at strange hours of the night or when a person is suppose to be out of town, strange cars parked outside, or any number of things out of the norm. Captains can then keep an eye on the home and act as the eyes and ears for law enforcement officials, while giving residents a bit of relief by knowing someone is always looking after their home.
In many cases, Heimkes said these groups are formed after a big crime or after-the-fact, but what makes Farwell different, is the group was formed before any major crime occurred. By forming the group before something happened, Heimkes hopes the group might deter potential crime by knowing a neighborhood watch is in place.
In the past, Larson said the sheriff’s department had met with communities about forming a Neighborhood Crime Watch. While some interest was expressed by a few communities, the program was slow to get off the ground. Instead, Larson said the program needs the support of community members who see the need within their community and are willing to step up and take the lead in forming a watch group.
“Once you get community members who want to take a leadership role, then it really gets going,” he said.

Larson said the entire program relies on the community itself and promotes a community atmosphere. Once formed he said some communities have hosted monthly or yearly night’s out and block parties to help build on the community atmosphere, while in other cases they have not done anything special or out of the ordinary.

Community party or not, Farwell residents can now sleep a bit easier knowing their neighbors will be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. As the new sign proudly states to those passing by on the highway, “Neighborhood Crime Watch: If I don’t call the police, my neighbor will.”