Forest Hill Residents Mobilize to Set Up Neighborhood Watch Group
A group of residents in San Francisco’s Forest Hill neighborhood mobilized to launch a Neighborhood Watch Group (NWG) following a string of stolen packages and car break-ins that included a neighbor who had tools taken from his work truck twice. Adding to these concerns was a suspicious person who
seemed to be scoping out houses in the area.
So in September of 2020, Donna De Santis contacted SF SAFE—which is responsible for helping residents organize NWGs across the city—and kicked off the process of establishing the Forest Hill Neighborhood Watch Group.
“SF SAFE guided us through the process of gathering people, establishing operating guidelines and connecting our group with local law enforcement,” said De
Santis, who serves as the group’s co-block captain along with fellow neighbor/co-block captain Mary Holder.
In a process that spanned various meetings over several months—partially because captains were reassigned during the process—De Santis began setting up the group. She shared that their first meeting was an intro with SF SAFE, where they received an overview of what a NWG is and how the organization can be of assistance.
“Once we had enough info to reach out to all neighbors on our blocks, we gauged interest to form a group,” said De Santis. “When enough interest was established, we held a pandemic-friendly meeting in a neighbor’s driveway where SF SAFE Executive Director Kyra Worthy shared the kinds of things SF SAFE can help with and answered the group’s questions.”
De Santis said that they had a follow-up meeting with SF SAFE at the Forest Hill Clubhouse that not only included Worthy and SF SAFE Crime Prevention
Coordinator Melanie Speech, but also SFPD Taraval Captain Eric Vintero, Officer Benny Lew and a robust group of residents. “Captain Vintero gave an overview of
SFPD Taraval’s responsibilities, including that they are responsible for the largest of all San Francisco police districts. He then presented crime statistics for our neighborhood, discussed safety precautions and responded to all questions.”
Her takeaway from this second meeting was that it was “productive and helpful” and she underscored that it is “nice to know who is running the local station and to
have their contact info ready when issues arise,” further noting that the captain “responds promptly.” Following the meeting, De Santis said that SF SAFE coordinated getting NWG signs posted on their neighborhood’s blocks.
De Santis was forthright in sharing that establishing a NWG “does require time and effort,” especially when gauging interest from neighbors and gathering their contact info to form the group. Fortunately, she said, her co-block captain Holder is “technically proficient” and was invaluable in creating their group’s contact
spreadsheet.
Since the Forest Hill Neighborhood Group launched its NWG, SF SAFE has organized meetings at their clubhouse with Supervisor Myrna Melgar—during which neighbors asked questions and voiced concerns directly—and also MTA Director Jeffrey Tumlin—to answer questions about MTA policies and actions re: related issues that arose during the supervisor’s meeting.
As of this writing, the Forest Hill NWG has had at least 10-15 neighbors attending the aforementioned meetings and they are looking to hold another one somewhere outdoors in June, per De Santis.
Speaking on behalf of herself and Holder, De Santis said that they think NWGs are “an effective way for neighbors to look out for each other, thwart some of the
crime affecting our neighborhood and enhance our connection with law enforcement.”
She emphasized that, at the heart of an NWG is “the spirit of looking out for your neighbor…it’s kind of an old fashioned idea, but it’s just knowing, being aware
of your surroundings and being aware of your neighbors.”
Want to start your own NWG in San Francisco? Click here to learn more and to get started on creating a safer neighborhood today.
Our thanks to Donna De Santis for her contributions to this article.