Title
Resolution Directing the Removal of Neighborhood Watch Signs and Affirming the City's Commitment to Inclusive and Evidence-Based Public Safety
Staff
Reviewed by: Milton Dohoney Jr., City Administrator
Atleen Kaur, City Attorney
Body
Whereas, The City of Ann Arbor is committed to fostering neighborhoods that are welcoming, inclusive, and grounded in public safety practices that build trust rather than suspicion;
Whereas, Neighborhood Watch programs emerged in the 1970s during a period of national anxiety about crime and social change;
Whereas, These programs were often rooted in assumptions about who did and did not "belong" in a neighborhood, reinforcing race-based hyper-vigilance and suspicion particularly toward Black, Brown, and other marginalized residents and visitors;
Whereas, This dynamic encouraged informal surveillance practices that disproportionately targeted people of color and contributed to patterns of exclusion under the guise of public safety;
Whereas, More than 600 Neighborhood Watch signs remain installed throughout the city, despite the program being defunct;
Whereas, Research shows that Neighborhood Watch programs do not reduce crime, and in fact often reinforce racialized suspicion, encourage biased reporting, and contribute to surveillance cultures that disproportionately target people of color;
Whereas, These signs, by continuing to convey messages associated with surveillance and exclusion, do not reflect Ann Arbor's current public safety values or its commitment to non-discriminatory enforcement, community trust, and safe spaces for all residents and visitors;
Whereas, The Ann Arbor Police Department has reviewed this issue and has affirmed its support for removing all remaining Neighborhood Watch signage, noting that these signs are no longer linked to any operational function of the department;
Whereas, The City Administration has directed the Signs and Signals team to begin scheduling the removal of all Neighborhood ...
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