Sparks Residents Form Neighborhood Watch to Prevent Crime

Residents in Sparks have started a neighborhood watch to combat the crime in the area. 

Numerous reported incidents have occurred in Sparks between Oddie Boulevard and Pyramid Way. Crimes range from grand theft autos, to residential burglaries, to violence, like fighting. So neighbors banned together to form a watch, and they have a message to the criminals where they live.

"You guys need to go some place else. Because as long as you live in this area, I'm going to be watching you," said Sia Shamshirpourian, a Neighborhood Watch member. 

 Every week, the neighbors meet to discuss ways to make their neighborhood more safe after several frightening incidents occur near their homes. 

"They go around back, they jump fences, they go through back doors that can't be seen from the outside," said Chris Gazzigli, a Neighborhood Watch member. 

Gazzigli experienced a scary situation just over the fence from his yard. 

"There was a raid next door to my house that displaced my mother, my mother is disabled and the cops had to bring her out. And that was very scary to come home and to live next door to a house that all the windows were blown out," said Gazzigli. 

And burn marks on the ground are still visible after a car was torched in the neighborhood several months ago. Residents we talked to believe it was intentional.

"It's nerve racking. There were nights I couldn't sleep," said Shamshirpourian. 

Watch signs posted in windows and patrol captains at night have decreased the crime. Neighbors owe it all to one another having each other's backs. 

"If it wasn't for them, I don't know what I'd do. Actually, I'd probably be like the rest of these people and hide behind the curtains," said Christian Andersen, a Neighborhood Watch member. 

Those on the neighborhood watch act as the eyes and ears for law enforcement, reporting anything suspicious they see on their block. And with their dedication, families living here feel much more at ease. 

"Now they're safe to ride their bike over here," said Shamshirpourian. "And after all these months now, their parents are comfortable. Their kids can come over here, go over there and play. Every little thing that we do, it makes a difference." 

Although this neighborhood watch team is small, they hope others in the area will follow their lead.

If you're interested in creating a neighborhood watch program for your community, it's possible with the National Neighborhood Watch. 

Here's a link to their website: http://www.nnwi.org/