MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Soon Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune residents will be keeping a close eye on their street and neighbors’ houses in an effort to deter crime and keep Lejeune residents worry-free.
Atlantic Marine Corps Communities is starting a resident-led Community Watch Group. Service members and their families who will be on the lookout for crime to help out their fellow neighbors.
“The first AMCC Community Watch Group started in Slocum Village at Cherry Point due to vandalism on community playgrounds,” said Dixie Lanier, the strategic marketing director with AMCC. “This year we are bringing the program to Camp Lejeune, specifically Berkley Manor and Watkins Village.”
Lanier added that if the Berkley Manor and Watkins Village Community Watch Groups meet expectations and residents work together, they plan on bringing the program to all base housing.
The first Community Watch Group meeting is slated for Oct. 4 at the Bicentennial Community Center located on Florida and Maryland Ave. aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Provost Marshal officers and some command leaders will be speaking at the meeting as well as listening to tips from residents on how they can better their community with the watch group.
“AMCC is doing this to ensure our service members live in safe and responsible neighborhoods,” said Lanier.
The watch group will be scheduled to meet once a month so residents can exchange information about what is going on and if there are more efficient ways to ensure their neighborhoods are protected.
“I would like for this to be year-round and throughout Camp Lejeune not just in certain areas aboard the base,” said Lanier.
The goal of the watch group is to ensure the neighborhoods are safe from crimes such as vandalism and theft to speeding in a school zone.
“Some of the consequences can be harsh; if someone is caught vandalizing property they can even be removed from their homes,” added Lanier.
For more information visit, atlanticmcc.com.