What would an individual do to keep their home or neighborhood safe? The answer has become quite popular over the last few decades. In fact neighborhood prevention is becoming extremely popular as well as successfully reducing crime in some neighborhoods. One of the major forms of neighborhood crime prevention is citizen patrol. Citizen patrol or often referred to as citizen on patrol is extremely popular due to the fact that it solely relies on surveillance. Furthermore, not only do these individuals volunteer their time to simply observe, they produce dramatic results in the process and work with law enforcement officers to stop neighborhood crime.
What is the citizen on patrol program? According to the National Association of Citizens on Patrol, Citizens on Patrol is a generic name used by many to describe a special group of Law Enforcement Volunteers. The association goes further to elaborate that, the Citizens On Patrol are Citizens who, after being screened, background checked, and trained by their local law enforcement agency, patrol their communities acting as "Eyes and Ears" for law enforcement. Citizens On Patrol are also referred to as "Citizen Observer Patrols", "Community Action Patrols", "Police Auxiliary Citizens Team", "Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol", "Volunteers In Policing", "Volunteers On Patrol", as well as other names. The citizens on patrol main goal are to observe. These individuals volunteer their time and effort in order to be a visual surveillance for their family and neighbors. The history of citizen patrol dates back all the way back to the 70’s. There has been much skepticism over the first actual citizen on patrol program. However the guardian angels organization is the only one that can show history dating back from four decades. “The Guardian angels organization was founded February 13, 1979 in New York City by Curtis Silwa and has 15 chapters in fifteen countries around the world.”