In 2017, the Laclede County Sheriff’s Office began an effort to engage the community in neighborhood watch.
Sheriff David Millsap says the efforts are paying off. He said that in the first nine months of 2023, there has been a 65% decrease in the number of burglaries reported in the county. In addition, the Sheriff’s Office has seen a 59% decrease in the number of stealing reports.
“In 2017, we started with a neighborhood watch in the Eldridge area. Since then, we have developed 21 programs county wide. Most of our watch programs are very active. Each of the watch programs, except for one, has a Facebook page. Members communicate with each other about what is going on in their neighborhoods. We communicate with the groups through Facebook. Each week the neighborhood watch receives an update about crime in the county,” said Millsap.
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