Homeowners will often joke about having a “nosy neighbor” who keeps tabs on everything that goes on in the neighborhood, but the reality is that we all need to be that person.

Last night Lawrence County officials hosted a forum to discuss how to implement a successful neighborhood watch program. Several are already in place across the County but many other areas could certainly benefit from the concerted effort by citizens to help keep an eye on one another’s property.

Over the years neighborhood watch programs have been very successful at keeping our streets and communities safer and catching criminals when a crime does occur.

The ongoing criminal trial stemming from the death of Trayvon Martin in Florida has somewhat given neighborhood watch programs a blackeye. But this should not be considered a reflection on the concept as a whole as this was a unique situation that had a tragic ending.

The idea that citizens working together to pay attention to what goes on in their neighborhoods and look out for each other is as timeless today as when it was created.

We applaud Lawrence County officials for leading the way on this effort. Law enforcement will never be able to be everywhere all the time.

Now is the perfect time for citizens to stand up for themselves.