and yet again, I would like to post the article where Wendy Dorival, the liaison between the watch groups and the police department, is discussing the roles of Zimmerman and the neighborhood watch program.
She states that she met with Zimmerman and his group in August 2011 and provided them information regarding the program.
1. In every presentation, I go through what the rules and responsibilities are, she said Thursday. The volunteers role, she said, is being the eyes and ears for the police, not the vigilante. Members of a neighborhood watch are not supposed to confront anyone, she said. We get paid to get into harms way. You dont do that. You just call them from the safety of your home or your vehicle.
Using a gun in the neighborhood watch role would be out of the question, she said in an interview.
2. In Sanford, she said, watch groups are not even supposed to make the rounds. That is the job of another kind of volunteer organization, Citizens on Patrol, whose members are selected and trained by the police and who drive the streets in a specially marked vehicle. Members of that group, Ms. Dorival said, are armed only with a radio.
3. The manual warns that watch members should not attempt to apprehend a person committing a crime or to investigate a suspicious activity. It should be emphasized to members of patrols, the materials state, that they do not possess police power and they shall not carry weapons. The consequences of not following the guidelines are severe, the manual states: Each member is liable as an individual for civil and criminal charges should he exceed his authority.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46830953/#.T21dIRH2b2Y
