Despite an overall decrease in burglaries in Lower Merion over the past few months, recent incidents, including one which police were able to immediately intervene in thanks to a neighbor's report, have police emphasizing the importance of neighborhood vigilance and resident reports of suspicious activity.

A neighbor's tip on Oct. 22 led to the nearly immediate apprehension of a burglar and the recovery of jewelry and cash stolen from the homeowner, according to a police report. And though the pace of burglaries has slowed down, there have been 191 burglaries since Jan. 1, including two recent nighttime burglaries of occupied structures in the Merion area — a departure from typical daytime burglaries, according to Lower Merion Police Superintendent Michael McGrath.

Police find out about burglaries through reports from the homeowner and alarm systems that notify the police, as well as a third key way: through calls regarding suspicious activity, according to McGrath.

"It's extremely important to always report any suspicious activity," he said, adding that the police department sends officers to civic meetings, where they encourage this sentiment. "Residents know their neighborhoods better than anyone else."

The goal, then, is to make as many people as possible educated to be efficient observers, according to Matt Peskin, president of Lower Merion Community Watch, a separate board which is comprised of volunteers and works out of the police department. The police department also provides training and recruitment for the program, according to McGrath.

"One of the great statistics that I found is that the average police officer only sees the crime once in every 14 years," Peskin said. "What they do is respond to calls from citizens. It's not them; it's us that sees it."

Although not all resident reports lead to the discovery of a crime, police encourage residents to be vigilant and report suspicious activity.

"We'd rather find out that there was no criminal activity than knock at residents' doors hours after a crime to gather information," McGrath said.

Rather than dial 9-1-1, police suggest that residents contact (610) 642-4200 to report suspicious activity, or call the general non-emergency number at (610) 649-1000.

"Calling 9-1-1 is fine, but the issue is that because it's cellular, a cell signal goes to nearest cell tower," McGrath said. "You may get a Delaware County or Philadelphia tower depending on where you are. They know to transfer it, but it delays [the process]."

Police suggest that residents program these numbers into their phones to avoid any such delay.

In addition to the importance of reporting suspicious activity, Peskin emphasized the role of community watch programs in crime prevention.

"When you get a series of crimes, particularly burglaries or robberies, the person committing those crimes gets the sense they can operate in that community without being detected," Peskin said. "You want to create an atmosphere that deters the criminal from being there."

Integral in creating that atmosphere are programs like Community Watch, according to Peskin.

"For whatever reason, criminals know which neighborhoods are going to pick them up," he said. "They know what areas to go to and not go to. Through programs like community watch, you want to get as many people involved, so that they will avoid those neighborhoods."

Lower Merion Community Watch currently has about 300 active volunteers, though about 1,500 have been trained over the years, according to Peskin. 

"I would say it is one of the more sophisticated [programs in the country]," said Peskin, who presides over the National Association of Town Watch in his daytime job. Lower Merion Community Watch, which began in 1977, is also one of the older programs in the country. "Community Watch here is a recognized entity that has a close working relationship with the police department."

Community Watch volunteers receive briefings from the police department, as well as radios, according to Peskin. 

"It's not just a bunch of signs," he said. "It's a full working program."