It's been about a month since a group of volunteers hit the streets of Carman and the R.M. of Dufferin, acting as an extra set of eyes and ears for the local RCMP.
Following a recruitment drive this summer, 9 people were selected to help get the newly minted Carman-Dufferin Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP) off the ground and, according to Monica Halbesma, Carman-Dufferin Fire Department's public education safety coordinator, it's been so far, so good.
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"The initiative was due to an increase in vandalism in the community, unfortunately, and we wanted to mitigate the issue by putting preventative measures in place," she explained.
Clad in bright yellow, high visibility COPP vests, volunteers patrol areas of concern and contacts authorities if they spot something suspicious or urgent.
"You cannot not see them," chuckled Halbesma.
"As a group, we're kind of helping to bring the community together on this issue."
Starting off with the initial 9 volunteers, Halbesma says efforts to grow the pool are ongoing with COPP members themselves reaching out to friends and neighbours to be a part of the team.
Those interested in joining the team can email Halbesma at monica@townofcarman.com to receive an application form. From there, they'll be subject a vetting process and training.