HERMITAGE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Hermitage man is calling on veterans and volunteers to help curb crime in the area. After multiple car break-ins at a local apartment complex, one neighbor said he is taking matters into his own hands and is organizing a neighborhood watch. 

When Anthony Rappo walks his dogs every morning, he looks for damage.

“I was walking around five in the morning and I saw a car window was smashed in,” Rappo said. 

Rappo lives in an apartment complex off Bell Road in Hermitage.

“My car here has been getting messed with every night. My understanding is that they think I have a gun in my car because I have an Army sticker on the back of my car,” he said. 

After calling police, Rappo said signs that read “Do not leave firearms in vehicles overnight” were placed in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, crime still persists. 

“Windows smashed into, tool boxes in the back of truck pried open, vehicle windows being messed with trying to get into the interiors,” said Rappo.

Now, he’s taking matters into his own hands.

“I’m a veteran myself. I spent five years in the US Army, I know there are other veterans in the area and I want to put together a neighborhood watch program, or something, to have extra eyes like hawks at night so if you see something that is going on,” Rappo said. “If you see something out of the ordinary speak up.”

He said this way police can be notified right away.

“We just want to live here peacefully with our neighbors but it seems like every day we wake up and worry about something we got to handle from the night before.”

Rappo is asking people to contact him personally if they would like to get involved with a neighborhood watch in the Hermitage area.

When it comes to fighting crime, Sgt. Robert Weaver with the Hermitage police precinct said they’ve been using the new Connect Nashville. The program allows anyone to connect their security cameras so Metro can access video where crimes are happening much faster.