Merritt has an active citizens on patrol as well as  a community policing office downtown with jacketed volunteers that go out and walk to be a presence. Not much trouble over this, and it gives formal sanction,to that, we all as citizens have. An ability and duty to respond to distress. In this case by reporting to the regular police.

In England there was at one time  a whistle call that engaged the hue and the cry or a number of people that would come running at the request of a constables blow. And there was vigilantism.

I n many places  both activities were considered  stop gap, and ad hoc. It was a way of the government and rule of law to gain control of justice away from the less professional.

These have gone into the past.

There is also speed watch here and a radar gun and board will tell you how fast you are going from a volunteers position.We do not know how busybodies and the like are dealt with in the program and serious crime is not their mandate.

The real remedy is for the people to have the ability and be without barriers to their own self -actualization of responsible behavior.

We reserve judgment on the value of such programs, however as an educational tool the CPO is in our view somewhat redeeming.

Today in History: March 18, 1938

Mexico moves to  nationalize its oil industry.