Foundation Offers A Deep Look Into Their Unique, Volunteer School Community Safety Patrols
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- Jul 2
- 4 min read
What are STOPNOW School Community Foot Patrols?
STOPNOW School Community Patrol Teams are a trained group of volunteers organized to increase the student safety and livability of their school community neighborhoods. Patrol members walk their assigned school neighborhood streets, parks, & school areas to deter crime, report incidents and problems & serve as an extra level of safety & encouragement for students and the school community; rather than sit back and hope that someone else will take care of any crime or livability problems affecting them.
Foot patrol members are actively and directly involved in solving those problems in a community-based, non-confrontational manner.
Foot patrols when able, collaborate with their City’s Crime Prevention Coordinators, police, neighborhood coalitions and associations, schools, parks personnel, and area businesses to help make sure that neighborhood problems are understood & receive a prompt, coordinated and effective response to potential student threats. Our foot patrols have also been utilized to aide in missing students searches or other community crisis needs.
A foot patrol is a great way to increase community morale & engage parents, student leaders & community members in making a positive difference within their communities, meet like-minded people and get some exercise too!
Purpose of Foot Patrols:
Our school community foot patrols have several purposes: To help reduce student related crime both on and off campuses and the fear of crime by providing a visible presence as a deterrent to criminal activity.
Having concerned patrol members actively watching sends a message in the neighborhood that crime will not be tolerated. Criminals don’t wish to be observed, so the presence of alert, trained volunteers can deter and prevent some crimes.
Additionally, residents begin to feel a sense of safety knowing that neighbors care and are concerned about the safety and security of their school areas.
To Report Suspicious or Illegal Activities:
Police and crime prevention staff rely on patrols to tell them about crime incidents and suspects. These patrols can provide timely information which can prevent crime from occurring or help apprehend individuals threatening the safety of school neighborhoods.
A Foot Patrol is in a good position to observe illegal dump sites, camping, evidence of drug dealing or manufacturing, street drinking, gang activity and other liquor violations.
To promote positive communication and relationships within a neighborhood. Community Foot Patrols provide an avenue for neighbors to get to know one another and build a sense of community.
Places we recruit potential members include: Neighborhoods, Businesses; neighborhood or business associations; congregations; and civic organizations.
Effective recruitment techniques might include press releases, newsletters, posters, and announcements at meetings. We consider the stakeholders in each area, where they gather, and how they communicate. We believe t’s a good idea to gather as many interested people as possible and then proceed with the vetting process and training prior to actual patrols.
Patrol team members & the community must understand and accept that Foot Patrol is a non-confrontational activity. Twelve is a good target number for starting a new Foot Patrol. Fewer people, but they are very dedicated, it can work. Community Foot Patrols are, by their nature, walking patrols. Being on foot makes it much easier to notice detailed information about the environment or an event than one could notice driving in a car.
For this reason, and others, we do not encourage or support driving patrols. On rare occasions, it may be appropriate to start a bike patrol. For example, if a patrol is desired in an area that is mostly traveled by bicycle, such as a bike path, it would make sense to patrol it by bicycle. However, these situations are rare. It is almost always most appropriate to patrol on foot.
Foot Patrols typically operate in one of four different environments: residential areas, business districts, parks, or school grounds. Sometimes these areas overlap and a patrol may operate in two environments; the most common combination is residential and business. Different patrol settings may call for some differences in organization and operation due to the different crime and livability issues that may be present and the agencies that might respond to these problems.
Residential area patrols usually work on reducing drug dealing, burglaries, thefts, and vandalism. Business district patrols are often oriented toward reducing drug dealing, prostitution, and alcohol-related problems.
Park patrols are focused on reducing criminal activity in parks, such as vandalism, camping, speeding, sexual activity, drug sales or use, alcohol violations, and other misuse of park
facilities. In establishing park patrols, additional steps need to be taken in co-operation with applicable Parks & Recreation personnel.
On campus school patrols are organized to patrol the school grounds and immediate surrounding area to eliminate vandalism, drug dealing, speeding, or the presence of adults who may endanger children. In establishing school patrols, we encourage when possible additional steps need to be taken in co-operation with the school district.
Basic Requirements For Team Members:
18 or over
Background Check/Fingerprinting/Meghan's Law
Basic Situational Awareness Training
Team Standards & Patrol Training (Initial/Ongoing)
Self defense training
Alcohol/Drug Free ( No Drinking 5 hours prior to patrols)
No weapons
Uniform must be worn on patrols & may not be worn outside patrol duties.
In some cases radios will be provided as appropriate in high traffic areas.
Foundation STOPNOW Patrols, modeled after the "Guardian Angels," anti crime unit in NYC in the 1980's, patrol school perimeters to minimize & prevent safety incidents from reaching school campuses; while also providing extra encouragement and support for students and neighborhoods.
Patrols are currently ongoing at several historically troubled school neighborhoods or those effected by violence; throughout the nation; including in Philadelphia, Morgan State University, Michigan State University & Choctaw High School; all sites of recent student related shootings and threats.
The Uvalde Foundation For Kids
254 499 8027
STOPNOW PATROLS
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