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About 40 upcounty residents were reminded to watch out for one another and urged to get out and meet their neighbors during a forum with public safety officials in Germantown last week.

"Everyone wants to hear that we're going to solve all the problems, but the reality is that…neighborhoods becoming more aware and being the eyes and ears for police is how we're going to solve crime in this new millennium," said Montgomery County Police Capt. Thomas C. Didone, who cited a recent rise in crime in Germantown by Germantown residents.

"We've kind of lost the sense of community," he said, citing examples of witnesses who don't call police. "When we were kids, we were always afraid of the neighbors catching us – we weren't afraid of the cops, we were afraid of the parents. We've got to get back to that."

Police from the 5th District station, where Didone is commander, U.S. Park Police, representatives of the State's Attorney's Office, a victim's services advocate, a social worker, a civilian volunteer, and a 9-1-1 supervisor were among those at Thursday's meeting at the Upcounty Regional Services Center.

At 240 square miles, the 5th District covers one-third of the county's land mass, Didone said. Germantown includes 104 homeowners associations, and the district includes Clarksburg, Damascus, Barnesville, Hyattstown, Poolesville and surrounding communities.

In recent years, 5th District police championed neighborhood watch groups and formed a nationally approved program "that was well-thought out, comprehensive," he said. "But the reality of the situation is when we did an assessment, we realized people don't really know who their neighbors are."

Community Services Officer Marcus Dixon pulled together homeowners associations, civic groups, business leaders and nonprofit groups to share ideas and resources. He will plan similar meetings in upcounty communities in 2009, so residents can "empower the communities on a smaller scale."

Jerry Crabhill, 61, of Manchester Farms came to the meeting to learn how her homeowners association can improve safety, she said, citing five fires since 2006 and ongoing unresolved petty crimes by teenage residents.

"We needed our homeowners association to put the hammer down on them," she said. "We could not get the board of the association to use the right tools."