Something law enforcement officials say helps deter crime during the summer months — when most young adults are looking to raise a little hell — is neighborhood watch programs.

Although there is no significant spike in illegal activities during the summer season in the East Valley, law enforcement officials want to keep it that way and often call on volunteer help to be an extra set of eyes and ears.

And it’s working, volunteers, neighborhood watch members and law enforcement officials agree. Another thing that develops because of neighborhood watch programs is a sense of community, members say.

The Mesa Police Department does not see an increase to illegal activity on neighborhood streets during the summer months, according to Ed Wessing, a spokesman for the department.

Sgt. Wessing says that while crimes still occur during the summer months, the three-digit temperatures often leave neighborhood streets barren.

"(Neighborhood Watch) enlists the active participation of citizens in cooperation with law enforcement to reduce burglaries and other neighborhood crimes," the Mesa Police Department Web site states. "Its primary purpose is the protection of property — yours and your neighbors."

Robyn Chapman, a central Mesa neighborhood watch member, says her neighborhood has a long-standing block watch program and because of it she says a tight-knit community has developed from it.

Ms. Chapman’s neighborhood is in central Mesa on Maple Street and her block watch program consists of nine homes on Maple Street and three adjacent cul-de-sacs, which equates to about 35 homes.

"We have been doing it for a long, long time in our neighborhood," she said in a phone interview. "It is kind of looking out for each other."

Ms. Chapman says the neighborhood watch program, which she has been a member of for 15 years, has been an intricate part of keeping her neighborhood safe.

"I do think by knowing our neighbors we have helped curb crime," she said. "We all know each other. We are a very close-knit community."

Ms. Chapman says the neighborhood watch program does more than just curb crime — it creates relationships among community members that can last a lifetime.

"Yeah, I think it develops a feeling of cohesiveness between the community," she explained.

In addition to a feeling of cohesiveness among community members, neighborhood watch programs often build a relationship between police officer and citizen, which are typically positive ones, Ms. Chapman said.

"They want to encourage the communication between the community and the police department," she said. "Maybe if we didn’t have that good relationship with the police department we wouldn’t feel comfortable calling them."

Twice a year, typically in the fall and spring, MPD holds community meetings with block watch captains, Ms. Chapman said.

To contact the Mesa Police Department Crime Prevention Division call 480-644-2033.

Thomas Kelly, Apache Junction Police Department investigations division captain, says typically during summer months the community is a little more quiet than at other times.

"Certain crimes and certain instances will probably drop because of the less density with the winter visitors being gone," he explained in a phone interview. "We do see less traffic accidents during the summer months."

But one thing that remains constant is petty crime, Capt. Kelly says.

"Other crimes are somewhat consistent, but we don’t see a dramatic increase to burglaries or people crimes," he said of illegal activity during the summer months.

Neighborhood watch programs come into play when community members are fed up with a situation happening within their communities, police officials say.

"The neighborhood watch programs that are really good are the active ones," Capt. Kelly said. "The neighborhood watch programs ... they are only as good as the people involved with them."

Suzzane Strong, AJPD’s community resource coordinator, called the relationship between neighborhood watch programs and law enforcement agencies a partnership.

"The program starts with the neighborhood getting to know each other, which is the most important thing," she said in a phone interview of community meetings. "By creating a neighborhood watch we get the neighbors together and we let them know we are working for and with them."

Ms. Strong says communication is vital for any neighborhood watch program to be successful.

"We also let them know without their help it is hard for us to know there is a problem," she explained of initial community meetings. "It is kind of working together and hopefully that one neighborhood can handle any problems."

There are 16 active neighborhood watch programs within the AJPD’s jurisdiction, according to Ms. Strong.

"When the winter visitors are gone we have probably half," she explained. "We like to do a meeting at the (mobile home) parks that a lot of people leave in the summer. It kind of makes them think about life here when they are gone."

The basic structure of a neighborhood watch program is the street, mobile home park or neighborhood decides on a captain for its program and he or she serves as liaison to the police department.

"All that I request is that they be a point of contact, a liaison for their neighborhood because you don’t want someone shouldering all the responsibility," Ms. Strong explained. "You just do your street; it is pretty hard to organize several streets."

Once a neighborhood watch program identifies a problem then the police department and the community work together to eradicate the problem, Ms. Strong explained.

"We know there is a problem because the neighbors said there was a problem," she pointed out. "We try to accommodate by doing more extra patrol, but there is not a whole lot involved in it, it’s basically just talking with your neighbors."

Tammy and Ryan Vergos, who are co-captains for a neighborhood watch program responsible for the area from 16th to Southern avenues on Thunderbird Avenue, agrees communication is key to a successful neighborhood watch program.

"It originally started when we were seeing graffiti and a lot of vandalism in the neighborhood," Mrs. Vergos said of the creation of her now two-year-old neighborhood watch program. "It is amazing to think that all of this came from a neighbor call."

What started as a one-time community meeting in the Vergos’ garage has now grown to a 12-member neighborhood block watch program and a community once ridden with vandalism and drug concerns is now a quiet corner of the AJPD’s beat, police officials say.

"The parks became a place where people were hanging out and doing drugs," Mrs. Vergos said of community parks sprinkled throughout the Apache Junction subdivision bordering the 16th Avenue and Ironwood drive intersection. "It has been a (benefit) because the police are now aware. Now there is a bigger chance of being caught."

Mrs. Vergos says communication between law enforcement agency and neighborhood watch is paramount.

"They are not going to know unless you call them," she explained of how important it is to keep in close contact with the police department. "When you first start doing it you feel like you are bothering them, but they encourage you to keep calling."

Because of that close contact emergency response times have improved, Mrs. Vergos said.

"Their response times have really improved and I think a lot of that is because of the neighborhood watch," she said. "If they have three phone calls you get put higher on the list."

Mr. Vergos says his neighborhood watch program has brought the community together.

"When we first moved here, neighbors didn’t even talk to each other," he said. "It has built quite a bit of good relationships."

In addition to a sense of community pride, illegal activity has dropped dramatically, Mr. Vergos contends.

"Vandalism has dropped big time since we started this," he said. "I think it is big for our kids, it helps them learn right from wrong."

To contact the Apache Junction Police Department’s non-emergency phone line call 480-982-8260.