KILLEEN, TX — In hopes of combating crime, under the direction of the Killeen Police Department, around two dozen people in Killeen trained to be neighborhood watch captains on Wednesday.
Killeen Councilwoman Shirley Fleming hosted the event with Killeen Police's Crime Prevention Coordinator.
"Whether it’s additional lighting, whether it's locking their house, putting their garage doors down, simple things like that, and the neighborhood watch captains are going to be the ones that are going to be able to pass that on to the residents,” said Crime Prevention Coordinator Tammy Moseley
The City of Killeen saw an uptick in certain crimes, such as homicides, from 2018 to 2019. So far this year, KPD has investigated six homicides, received 46 burglary of habitation reports and just over 100 burglary of vehicle reports.
Police said keeping neighborhoods safe is a team effort.
"You’ll be surprised. When everyone is working together, you have a safer community,” said Chief of Police Charles Kimble.
Neighborhood watch captain training is held every six months, and officials said there are around 165 active neighborhood watch programs in Killeen.
