Neighborhood Watch

The Neighborhood Watch Program in Cerritos is a joint effort by community members and the Cerritos Sheriff’s Station/Community Safety Center to fight crime, protect property, and ensure safe neighborhoods. Because of this cooperative effort, Neighborhood Watch has proven instrumental in the prevention and control of residential related crimes. Members of Neighborhood Watch often serve as the eyes and ears of the Sheriff’s Department.

Joining/Starting a Group

Contact the Community Safety Division at (562) 916-1266 to see if a Neighborhood Watch group has been formed in your neighborhood. If so, you will be provided with the name and phone number of the Watch Captain.

If there is not an active group in your neighborhood, the Community Safety Division will work with you and your neighbors to start one. Starting a group is simple. Ideal Neighborhood Watch groups are typically small, usually 15 to 20 households, to simplify communication among participants.

What’s Involved

As a block captain, you are responsible for acting as the liaison between your neighborhood and the Cerritos Sheriff’s Station/Community Safety Center.

Once formed, you and your neighbors “watch” your neighborhood, communicate regularly with deputies, and meet with your neighbors often enough to keep apprised of new information. If a residential crime pattern is identified in your area, deputies will notify your group of what to look out for and offer prevention suggestions via e-mail.

The success of Neighborhood Watch depends on citizen involvement. While the Community Safety Division and Sheriff’s Department will assist in many ways, it is the responsibility of the individual Neighborhood Watch groups to keep the program active in their neighborhood.

Benefits of Participating

Neighborhood Watch has proven to be instrumental in the prevention and control of residential related crimes within the community. As a member of Neighborhood Watch, you will join with others in protecting your neighborhood and developing an important crime-prevention partnership with the Sheriff’s Department.

Participants use their knowledge of the neighborhood to identify suspicious behavior and report incidents to the Cerritos Sheriff’s Station.

Participants will receive Neighborhood Watch signs to post to let potential criminals know that others are watching out for your home.

Important Phone Numbers

Cerritos Sheriff’s Station
(562) 860-0044

Cerritos Community Safety Division
(562) 916-1266