Loving Parents — and Armed Patrols — Make Safe Neighborhoods

Loving, caring parents who want to know what our kids are up to need to constantly probe, engage, examine and scrutinize not only our own children, but also their friends. Only a pathetically disconnected parent zombied to the television would fail to do so.

Same holds true with neighbors and neighborhoods. Safe neighborhoods are those neighborhoods where caring neighbors have their radars finely tuned to identify things that don’t appear right. This should be especially true in neighborhoods that have a disproportionate occurrence of burglaries and other crime.

Neighborhood watch programs are a good and welcome start, but I prefer neighborhood patrols. Patrolling is different than merely “watching” for problems in that patrolling is a proven crime prevention pro-active defense posture. In business terms, neighborhood patrols are “management by walking around and observing.”

An active defense posture sends a message to various creeps, thugs, malcontents, parolees and dangerous delinquents that a neighborhood will not tolerate any type of degeneracy or crime. The presence of neighborhood patrols will ultimately cause subhuman scum to slither off to other less secure neighborhoods.

In the best of circumstances, a neighborhood patrol should be comprised of two armed good guys who are also equipped with cell phones, cameras and powerful flashlights.

Most importantly, neighborhood patrols must have routine dialogue with the local cops and obtain as much training as possible from the professionals. Neighborhood patrols should provide the local police with a periodic written assessment of their findings, concerns and recommendations for the neighborhood.

Neighborhood patrols are analogous to the neighborhood beat cops of yesteryear who used to walk around the neighborhoods and get to know everyone. Neighborhood patrols would accomplish much the same. Patrols would let the neighbors know who the patrol members are and how the neighbors can make the neighborhood safer.

When neighborhood patrols identify suspicious characters or strangers, they should politely engage them to attempt to determine why the person is in the neighborhood. Asking probing questions in a polite manner is the optimal way to discern a person’s motives. The police should be immediately called if the person refuses to communicate, shows un-neighborly indicators or attempts to run away.

When I patrol my property, I’m constantly looking for things that don’t appear right such as gates that are open that should be closed, breached fences, and even the occasional trespasser. I don’t miss anything.

Regarding trespassers, you bet I engage them. When I’m through confronting trespassers, they have a whole new appreciation for private property rights.

Liberal squawkers say that neighborhood patrols are vigilante-types looking to replace the police. Nothing could be further from the truth. Neighborhood patrols are simply trying to make their neighborhoods and communities safer for everyone, and we do a damn good job of it.

Ted Nugent is a musician and award-winning writer and author of The New York Times best-selling “Ted White & Blue: The Nugent Manifesto” and “God, Guns and Rock 'n' Roll,” along with “Kill It and Grill It,” “BloodTrails,” and “BloodTrails II.” He also is a member of the board of directors of the National Rifle Association. Read more reports from Ted Nugent — Click Here Now.