On a brisk Wednesday afternoon, Scott Abels drove his pickup past parks, grocery stores and community hubs in the Fircrest neighborhood. As Abels drove, Judy Ellis radioed their location and what they were seeing. Robert O’Gorman snapped photos of anything noteworthy and prepared the pictures for their report. The trio was patrolling as a part of the Vancouver Police Department’s volunteer Neighbors on Watch program. The program trains those looking to help make neighborhoods safer in skills such as observation techniques, strategies to be a good witness and CPR. Volunteers who complete the program’s six-week academy help police officers by keeping eyes on issues in their neighborhoods. Registration is open for the program’s 25th academy, scheduled to run April 17 through May 22. Throughout the program’s 17 years, 358 people have completed the training, according to program coordinator Jordan McFarlane. Abels, Ellis and Gorman drove to locations on their “hot sheet” — a list of priorities drafted by a neighborhood police officer. The trio watched for suspicious activity or anything police should know about, and documented it for police to follow-up on when they have time.

Abels’ truck bore the Neighbors on Watch program’s logo, and the trio wore neon vests marking them as police volunteers. Ellis said she feels a big value of the patrols is being a visible presence on behalf of the police department. While they aren’t making any arrests, she said they can at least act as a deterrent for anyone up to no good. “The big thing is we’re being seen,” Ellis said. “We get stopped all the time, and people say, ‘Hey, thanks for checking things out’ or ‘Can you check this out?’ ” They also help with special assignments as needed by the department. Some NOW volunteers patrolled area ballot boxes following arsons at two Vancouver boxes in the days leading up to the November general election.

They also served as escorts for vendors as they came and went from secure areas of police precincts to install dash camera equipment in patrol cars, Ellis said. The program allows volunteers to dictate their commitment level, and Abels said “it’s what you make of it.” Ellis and Abels are the most seasoned of the group, having each been NOW volunteers for roughly 15 years, about 10 of which they’ve patrolled together. O’Gorman completed the academy in May. For Ellis, joining NOW was personal. She said she joined after her Cascade Park house was broken into. A thief took off with about $20,000 worth of her stuff. She was afraid of it happening again or to anyone else nearby, so she began a neighborhood association and signed up to be trained in neighborhood watch techniques. “There’s just all kinds of things you can learn,” Ellis said. “You just never stop learning.”

O’Gorman said he’s always been interested in law enforcement. He settled on a different career to support his family, but now that he’s retired, he said it’s a way for him to live out a passion of his. “It’s getting to know our community,” O’Gorman said. “I’ve loved learning about what (police officers) go through. It’s a hard job.” To sign up for the academy visit clbn.us/NOWprogram.