Property Watch

What is Property Watch?

The Property Watch program started in 2016 to assist owners of commercial properties, businesses, and apartment complexes curb unwanted activity that occurs after business hours or when the owner or manager cannot be contacted. This program is not for single residential houses. Without authority granted by the person responsible for the property/business, the police are often not able to take action on non-criminal issues that occur on private property. Some examples would be non-residents/customers loitering on the  property, skateboarding, non-customer vehicles in the parking lot, etc.

The Property Watch program allows the person responsible for the property to partner with the Astoria Police Department to act in their behalf when they are not there. This program is based on similar successful programs used by Beaverton Police, Pendleton Police, and Salem Police.

The legal foundation is a signed agreement that provides the authority for the police to contact people that are on a participating Property Watch private property and ask them to leave the property. The goal is to allow our officers to legally be able to assist in helping keep your property safe when you are not there. There is no cost to you to participate in the program; the contract is is renewed periodically and you can withdraw from the program at any time.

What won't the police do?

If you sign up to be a member of the program, please be aware that Astoria Police Officers:

1. Will not provide legal advice to you.
2. Will not evict people for you, nor make that decision for you.
3. Will not tow cars off your private parking lot unless it’s related to a police investigation or incident.
4. Will not act in the capacity of a private security guard.
5. May not be able to fix or address all your concerns.

Are you interested?

The Property Watch program is only available for commercial properties and businesses within in the limits of the City of Astoria. This program is not for single residential houses. If your property or business is outside of the city limits of Astoria, we encourage you to take this information to the law enforcement agency that serves you to see if they would be interested in partnering with you to start the program up.

If you would like to sign up for Property Watch, download the Property Watch Agreement; read the agreement, complete the form, select a time period, sign the agreement, and return all pages to the Astoria Police Department. When your application is accepted, you will be notified and provided a digital copy of the Exclusion Criteria. The Exclusion Criteria will need to be placed on the outside of a building so that it is visible to both the public and police officers.

Questions?

If you have questions about the Property Watch program, contact Sergeant Andrew Randall at 503-298-2575 or arandall@astoria.or.us.