Residents of Ward Four are offering a helping hand to local law enforcement in an effort to prevent crime in the vicinity.

Led by life-long Brookhaven resident Johnny Perkins, the Old Town Neighborhood Watch joined Vernondale and Lincoln County groups a year and a half ago.

“We are just another set of eyes,” Perkins said from his home on South Jackson Street. “[The Neighborhood Watch] allows the police a bigger picture of what’s going on.”

Old Town Neighborhood Watch encompasses approximately 55 homes south of Chickasaw Street to Natchez Avenue. Although he encourages the development of similar programs throughout the city, Perkins explained the group’s efficiency relies on its small membership.

“To be successful, these watches can’t be too big,” he said. “An optimal watch would be where everybody knows everybody.”

Perkins emphasized the mission and purpose of the group as an institution of community awareness, as well as a co-operative involvement with the efforts of local law enforcement. However, he stressed members do not overstep the boundaries of a civilian task force.

“We want to be aware of what’s going on in the neighborhood and have a formal organization that police know is there,” he said.

“But we reaffirm to people that we are only here to report to police. We don’t want people taking action into their own hands.”

Perkins uses resources such as USAonwatch.org, a national database for Neighborhood Watch groups. The website also offers assistance in acquiring grants for their use.

In addition, NNWI.org offers crime prevention products such as street signs and window decals indicating the presence of the program in neighborhoods with the intention of deterring criminal acts.

According to Perkins, the development of Neighborhood Watch groups in the local community was spawned after Brookhaven’s annexation in 2007 tripled the city limits, causing an over-burdened infrastructure.

“It diluted [the police department’s] coverage in highly populated areas,” he said.

“We need the Neighborhood Watch in Brookhaven because we don’t have the amount of police we need,” he continued. “They need help.”

Officers from the Brookhaven Police Department, including Chief Pap Henderson, attend group meetings to encourage member participation and instruct proper methods of dealing with suspicious activity. However, Perkins would like to see the police department do still more.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department has an appointed officer that exclusively works with Neighborhood Watch programs. BPD has yet to institute such a program despite the group’s requests.

“We have a need for an organized point of contact at the police department to support formation of and ongoing activities on Neighborhood Watch.” Perkins said.