INTRODUCTION – One of many factors to community safety is the level of citizen involvement. Within Memphis and Shelby County, many citizens have stepped up to help improve their neighborhoods and assist with local issues. The Memphis Shelby Crime Commission (MSCC) recognized the potential crime-prevention power of organized groups of citizens in its current Operation: Safe Community (OSC) plan that targets the overall crime rate. The OSC plan aims to establish and maintain a “Neighborhood Safety Initiative” (NSI) to help build and strengthen existing partnerships among neighborhood groups, law enforcement and other government agencies.

Neighborhood watch groups (NWGs), for example, align themselves with their police precincts to help report unusual, and possibly criminal, activity. Police precincts also help educate neighborhood residents on how they can improve safety, not only in their communities, but also in their homes.

Another example of strengthening these partnerships with citizens is…. [use the link below to continue reading this assessment]