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<p>ROSS TWP. &#8212; Criminals beware &#8212; you are being watched.</p><p>Signs stating, &#8220;If I don&#8217;t call the police, my neighbor will,&#8221; posted on properties boast of the extra eyes and ears of the Sweet Valley Area Crime Watch aiding state law enforcement.</p><p>Sweet Valley is one of many small rural communities that does not have its own police force and requires service by the Pennsylvania State Police.</p><p>As a result, a police presence is not as visible as it is in municipalities with a designated force.</p><p>Crime watch volunteers believe the lack of police presence began to attract criminal behavior.</p><p>Drug paraphernalia was found around a Sweet Valley home three years ago, said Nancy Barrett, block captain of the Sweet Valley Area Crime Watch.</p><p>Also, a suspicious white van with a roof vent was reported in the North Lake area, she said.</p><p>&#8220;It wasn&#8217;t too long after we saw that van when news of a similar-looking van that had a mobile meth lab in it was found in Berwick,&#8221; Barrett said.</p><p>Following this event, Barrett joined the newly-forming Sweet Valley Area Crime Watch.</p><p>The nearly 20-member group has made an impact on the community since its establishment in October 2012, according to Tom Becker, president of the organization.</p><p>&#8220;I do feel it (Sweet Valley Area Crime Watch) has deterred criminal activity,&#8221; Barrett said.</p><p><strong>Strategy</strong></p><p>In rural communities such as Sweet Valley, homes are a distance apart, making crime watch foot patrols invalid. But, the neighbor-watching-over-neighbor tactic is effective.</p><p>&#8220;We encourage people to meet their neighbors and become familiar with their vehicles traveling to and from homes,&#8221; Becker said. &#8220;We have pockets of people watching over their neighborhoods.&#8221;</p><p>Crime watch members also carry information from meetings back to their neighbors. This information becomes a critical component to combating criminal behavior.</p><p>&#8220;Crime watch is really about education,&#8221; said Charlotte Raup, president of the Wilkes-Barre Crime Watch.</p><p>Raup has 18 years invested in the Wilkes-Barre Crime Watch and has guided Becker and concerned citizens through the process of establishing a crime watch.</p><p>Becker encourages residents to turn their porch lights on at night and improve yard lighting, keep homes and properties groomed and well-maintained and close windows and doors at night.</p><p>&#8220;Open windows can entice criminals,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They can see your big TV and other items. Close your blinds and curtains at night.&#8221;</p><p>Meetings arm crime watch members with information on how to identify spice, a type of synthetic marijuana, recent home or car break-ins and advice on how to report a crime, Raup said.</p><p>This information is then spread through the community by word of mouth, she said.</p><p>&#8220;Crime can happen anywhere,&#8221; Raup said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Becker </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_becker01.jpg</photo0><caption0>Becker </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Sweet Valley Area Crime Watch is successful</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Eileen Godin</p><p>egodin@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Sweet Valley Area Crime Watch</strong></p><p>Meets at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month in the Sweet Valley Church of Christ, 5439 Main Road.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>