On a rainy Colorado evening on Aug. 5, 30 Woodmen Hills neighbors squeezed into John and Cathy Patch’s garage for hot dogs, hamburgers and potluck side dishes. The friendly group gathered in honor of National Night Out, a program sponsored by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and Neighborhood Watch.Rusty and Amy Madis organized the evening and invited families from the 20 houses on their street. Two other locations in Woodmen Hills held similar events. Representatives from Target and Wendy’s supported the event, and the sheriff’s department sent out a deputy to promote community safety and raise awareness for Neighborhood Watch.Madis said he expected 38 neighbors and was pleased to see the rain wasn’t keeping people away. He said the goal of the evening was to help neighbors connect and want to participate more in the Neighborhood Watch program.Describing his neighbors, Madis said they have always been a friendly group, but a break-in on their street at the beginning of the year prompted them to become more vigilant about community safety.Madis volunteered to serve as a Neighborhood Watch block captain and said he spends one hour per week working on Watch-related activities. He said he goes door to door to meet neighbors and invite them to various activities and neighborhood meetings. His block holds monthly Neighborhood Watch meetings, and, if anything of concern comes up, he keeps neighbors up to date.Rachel Egbert, mother of six and a resident on Madis’ block, said she feels safer with the Neighborhood Watch program in place. “I want everyone to know who my kids are and where they belong,” Egbert said. “I also want my kids to know the neighbors and where they can go if they need help.”Neighborhood Watch also has helped Egbert’s neighbors be more aware of what is happening on their street. “We watch out for each other more,” Egbert said. “If someone is going out of town, we send an e-mail and everyone helps keep an eye on the house.”
