Meadowbrook Farm
Block Captain
Guide Book
Edition 2025 update
The duties of a block captain, typically associated with Neighborhood programs, security and upkeep of Neighborhood standards. Involve serving as a direct point of contact between residents, the block coordinator and the local police department. The position focuses on fostering a strong sense of community and promoting safety through communication and organization.
Communication and information sharing
- Maintain a contact list: Block captains are responsible for creating and updating a list of names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for residents on their block.
- Act as liaison: They are the primary contact for the police department to distribute crime alerts, safety tips, and other important information to the neighborhood. They also relay residents’ concerns to the appropriate agencies, such as the police or neighborhood associations.
- Inform residents: A block captain uses flyers, emails, or phone trees to keep neighbors updated on important news, such as local crime trends, upcoming meetings, or neighborhood events.
Organization and community building
- Host meetings: Block captains organize, and lead neighborhood watch meetings to discuss crime prevention strategies, security measures, and local issues.
- Welcome new residents: They greet new neighbors and inform them about the Neighborhood Watch program and community activities.
- Organize events: Many block captains coordinate social activities, such as block parties or clean-up days, to build community cohesion.
- Recruit participants: They encourage new members to join the Neighborhood Watch program and delegate tasks to share responsibilities.
Safety and emergency preparedness
- Report suspicious activity: While block captains have no special law enforcement authority, they encourage neighbors to observe and report suspicious activity to the police by calling 911 or a non-emergency number.
- Coordinate during emergencies: In the event of a disaster, a block captain may be responsible for checking on neighbors—especially those with special needs—and sharing information from emergency operation centers. And the HOA.
- Raise crime awareness: They help residents implement simple security measures, such as improving outdoor lighting or marking valuable property.
What a block captain does not do
It’s important to remember that block captains are community volunteers, not law enforcement officers. Their duties do not include:
- Patrolling the neighborhood.
- Confronting suspected criminals.
- Attempting to handle a dangerous or hazardous situation.
- Arguing with any community member, this should be addressed to the block captain coordinator for difficult resident members.
Q. What is a block captain?
A block captain is the eyes and ears for a block of houses and looks for anything out of the ordinary that might need attention. They carry out the Neighborhood Watch Program
on a given street. They are not vigilantes; they notify the police when necessary and do not try to act like the police themselves.
Q. What are the duties of a block captain?
A. A block captain: creates a contact list for their block holds a block meeting to explain the program to their neighbors tracks incidents around the block and updates residents of the block about any pertinent issues such as a break‐in keeps their ears and eyes open and calls 311 to report issues detected o calls 911 if an officer is needed o coordinates annual National Night Out activities on their street if they choose to do so.
Q. What is a block?
A. A block can be all the houses along one or more streets, or it may be a portion of the houses on a given street.
Q. How do you become a block captain?
A. You can sign up by contacting the Block Captain coordinator or web site, www.meadowbrookfarmonline.com and leave a comment and someone will get back with you shortly., and a Neighborhood block captain leader will then set up a time to do the 30 minute training brief at your convenience. Use the link under the block captain Get Involved tab of the home page to get to the sign‐up form.
What you need to do to help us create a safe neighborhood:
WATCH FOR… Suspicious persons or activities. Vehicles passing by numerous times, suspiciously parked, or appear to be aimlessly cruising. Strangers in your neighborhood, especially if they are loitering with cell phones and/or backpacks. Teenagers who are hanging out in the neighborhood while school is in session. People with flyers or handouts. They may be casing the neighborhood, looking for easy targets The person “taking a short-cut” through a yard Strange vehicles parked at your neighbor’s house
If you see something suspicious, don’t assume someone else has called the police. It is your neighborhood – if you see something you feel is suspicious – Take Action and do something about it. Note the description of the suspicious person and/or vehicle and call the City immediately at 911.
If you see an actual crime in progress, immediately telephone the Emergency number 911 and report this incident to the police. Do not confront any suspicious persons yourself or attempt an arrest, as your safety could be jeopardized. Call the police! WHAT ELSE YOU CAN DO Exchange work and vacation schedules with a neighbor you trust, so you can keep an eye on each other’s homes. Take in their trash cans, if they’ve been left out for collection on the day they leave. Contact the Block Captain coordinator for neighborhood incidents or questions about crime and safety on your block. For general concerns, email Sylvia Williams, Block Captain Coordinator –
sawwilliams7@gmail.comTelephone: 804 687-1656
MBKF – Association (Sample letter for neighbors – tailor as you see fit)
Dear neighbor, MBKF has recently started a Neighborhood Watch program, to help neighbors prevent crime throughout the entire neighborhood area. As part of this program, block captains in MBKF • help keep an eye and ear out for suspicious activities or possible dangers in the neighborhood • contact the police about concerns • disseminate information to neighbors I have volunteered to be the block captain for our block and I would like to create an e‐mail list of all the people on our block, so that I can relay information to you, and we can all be better aware of happenings on our street. Please either e‐mail me with the best way to reach you or return the bottom portion of this page to my house. This information is intended to be shared with other neighbors, so that we can all watch out for each other’s houses during the day. You are not required to share it. In the future I will be receiving information about crimes in our neighborhood, safety tips, and other pertinent information about our neighborhood which I will pass on to you. Thanks so much, Your name here your address here Phone: phone number here Email: e‐mail address here Name: ____________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________ Phone: _____________ Cell Phone: _____________ E‐Mail: ___________________________________ Best way to reach me _____phone ____e‐mail I am home during the day: ____ Yes ____ No ____ Prefer not to answer I am okay with my email address being shared with the neighbors on our street. ___ yes ___ no I am interested in being an alternate block captain. ___ yes ___ no Current