LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A southern Indiana city is working on a program to prevent crime, and it's calling on the community to help.

The Madison Police Department is launching a Neighborhood Watch Program.

While the overall concept isn't new, it is a new push for the small town. 

"We've had some resemblance of a neighborhood watch program in the past. This is the most formal and kind of the largest structured community outreach effort that we've embarked on," said Madison Mayor Bob Courtney. 

Courtney said this effort is about partnerships with the community.

"We already have a very safe community and again, the communication is critical and it also helps our police officers just apply the resources where they need to be applied," he said.

According to the Madison Police Department, the Neighborhood Watch Program encourages community engagement and collaboration with police and neighbors to prevent crime.

"It's important for us to have because it creates that connection between the citizens of Madison and the police department," said Madison Police Chief Shawn Scudder. "A lot of times citizens feel disconnected or their voices aren't heard. This gives them an avenue to have direct contact with us when they have direct concerns."

Download PDF Madison Police neighborhood map.pdf

Through the program, community members work together to monitor and report suspicious activities to police. The city has been divided into 12 neighborhoods for the Neighborhood Watch Program. Each one will be represented by what police are calling a "Neighborhood Captain." That person will serve as the liaison between neighborhood members and the police department.

Scudder said each Neighborhood Captain will be chosen through a collaborative effort between members of the community and the police department.

"We want somebody who is going to be a good communicator. We can stay in touch with the neighborhood captain," he said.

According to police, the captain will share information with the neighborhood watch members, create and maintain a neighborhood watch phone tree, and create a neighborhood watch Facebook group.

The first meeting is scheduled for Aug. 19. Each of the 12 neighborhoods has a different meeting time and location. For a list of locations, click here.

To view a map of the neighborhoods, click here. 

Watch members are asked to serve as the "eyes and ears" of their neighborhoods.

"Public safety is a key initiative for the city. It's the largest resource that we budget for throughout the year," Courtney said. 

According to Scudder, the Madison Police Department is about three or four officers short from being fully staffed with 35 officers. While the city hasn't seen an increase in crime, Scudder said this new program is a way for police to be more transparent and connect with the community.

"This will just help us identify problems easier so that we can be in the neighborhoods that we need to be in," Scudder said. 

The program's goal is to have police more present in areas of need.

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