The Grinch has been stealing the Christmas spirit in Campus Park neighborhoods on the east end of Moorpark.

A rash of thefts and vandalism took place there last week, leaving residents to wonder about their safety.

Holiday ornaments were destroyed and wreaths, reindeer and blow-up decorations were stolen from the front yards of several homes. Vandals have been ringing doorbells, throwing eggs and posting pornographic images on several properties, according to area residents.

The culprits are brazen, committing the crimes in broad daylight when people are home, said Cybele Sliva, whose front-yard decorations were stolen between 8 and 11 a.m. on Nov. 29.

Sliva is proposing a neighborhood watch program in the community.

Neighborhood Watch is one of the oldest and most effective crime prevention programs in the country, joining together citizens and law enforcement in an effort to deter crime and make communities safer, according to the National Crime Prevention Council.

Citizens organize themselves and work with law enforcement to keep a trained eye and ear on their communities, making their presence known around the clock.

Sliva has been driving around in the neighborhood sharing her concerns with other residents and telling them that incidents should be reported to the police.

"The more reports we get the more patrol we get," she said. "But you cannot expect the police department to baby-sit the neighborhood."

Believing this is a safe area, people pay a lot of money to buy homes and live in Moorpark, Sliva said, but the only way to keep it safe is with community involvement where people watch out for one another.

"We have to take ownership of our neighborhood and look out for each other," she said.

Several deputies who live in the area said they will join the group.

Neighborhood Watch programs are effective because residents know their neighborhood better than anyone else and can sense when something is wrong, the deputies said.

"If enough people join the Neighborhood Watch program, then it can be effective," said Senior Dep. Robert Berger of the Moorpark Police. But oftentimes people back away from the commitment, said the officer, who provides assistance to groups opeople that want to form neighborhood watch programs.

To date, only one such group exists in Moorpark, in the Villa Del Arroyo Mobile Home Park.

"It has been outstanding and has resulted in many arrests fodrug violations," said Berger.

For more information abouhow Neighborhood Watch programs are formed and operatevisit www.ncpc.org/topics/neighborhood-watch.