Setting Up A Security Patrol

• 1). Prepare a plan of the area to be patrolled. Mark the boundaries of the homes that will be included. Use a guideline for what kind of patrols you will be doing whether on foot, bicycle or in cars. Each will require different levels of commitment from the volunteers.
  
  
• 2). Get to know the neighbors. Find out who lives at each home and what kind of car is usually in their driveway. Make notes for each of the members of your patrol. The more things the patrol volunteers know about the neighborhood the better they can do their jobs of preventing or reporting crimes.
  
  
• 3). Decide who will oversee your patrols. If it is the homeowner's association, make sure you have a guideline for emergencies. This will require meetings with the board to outline the duties and responsibilities, like who patrol volunteers should contact during certain types of emergencies.
  
  
• 4). Screen your patrol volunteers carefully. There should be no felons or sex offenders allowed to participate. This would open the governing body up to liabilities if proper screening is not done.
  
  
• 5). Find a block leader or area leader that will set up schedules and issue proper equipment to the patrols. This person should be a long time resident of the area that knows the homeowners. This person will report any problems to the next shift.
  
  
• 6). Make monthly reports to the homeowners at a meeting. Let them comment if they feel there are issues that need to be addressed. If you give the homeowners a say in how things are done, you will see more cooperation and less distrust of the patrols.