Child Watch

Become A Child Watch Volunteer

Michigan Community Child Watch Program

In 1979, the Kent County Sheriff's Department established the Michigan Community Child Watch Program.  The program has since been adopted statewide. The goal of the program is to reduce the opportunity for a child to become a crime victim.  The program is jointly administered by your local police department and school district.  Your police department will train program volunteers in crime reporting.  The school district will train the children in the Child Watch Program.

Volunteers who attend a short training program (approximately one half-hour) will receive a Community Child Watch poster. The poster is placed in a prominent location, usually a front window, and children readily recognize your home as a place of safety. The posters also send a message to criminals that the residents of a neighborhood observe the activities in their neighborhood, so the sign can be a deterrent to crime also. Children in need of assistance will be brought to a home that displays the Community Child Watch sign. The child will not enter your home. This may appear to contradict the program's goal of assisting children in need. However, this action further ensures a child's safety. After all, you are a stranger to that child, and we teach our children not to go with strangers. You will assist the child by observing and reporting suspicious behaviors and activities.

If you wish to become a Community Child Watch volunteer and live in Northville Township, you will need to attend a training meeting. The training session will last approximately thirty minutes. Officer Michael Burrough will train volunteers in crime reporting. Volunteers view a video and complete an application form. You will be required to list all members living in your household who are 17 years of age or older. Northville Township Police will then conduct a criminal history check of those persons to ensure no one in the household has a criminal record involving children. The Community Child Watch poster you will be issued is the property of the Northville Township Police Department.  It is a misdemeanor for anyone to misuse the poster. Northville Township Police will confiscate the sign, and prosecute anyone who misuses it.

If you wish to become a Community Child Watch volunteer, contact Officer Burrough at (248) 349-9400 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM. The training sessions can be held at any location where a VCR can be operated.

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Northville Township
44405 Six Mile Rd.
Northville, MI. 48168
(248) 348-5800

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