Lansford residents concerned about crime say they will patrol their neighborhoods.

Borough officials are in favor of a neighborhood watch of residents.

“I think it’s a good idea. It’s neighbors watching out for each other,” said Hugh Vrablic, mayor of Lansford.

For weeks, residents have been posting about property vandalism in a Lansford Facebook group, and frustration with a lack of action by local police. On Thursday, one man posted that he planned to walk the streets after 2 a.m. to look for whoever was doing the vandalism, and that he never leaves his house unarmed.

Several people responded to the post saying they would be interested in joining him. One man posted pictures he took of young men out on the streets late at night.

Many people in the group applauded the posters for taking a stand against crime in the town. A few said they feared that it was harassment.

Vrablic said that he supports residents keeping an eye out for their neighbors. He said that years ago, neighbors would watch out for each other, and either notify police or call each other to tell them about suspicious activity - something he says has gone away over the years.

However he cautioned against going beyond observing and reporting, and getting into the job of law enforcement.

“They don’t want to put themselves in a spot where they could also get arrested,” he said.

If a person involved in a neighborhood watch tries to detain someone, or uses a firearm, they could face a lawsuit, if not criminal charges.

Many neighborhood watch programs affiliated with police do not allow their members to carry guns. The National Sheriff’s Association says that neighborhood watch members should not carry weapons or pursue vehicles, and should alert police to any strange activity.

Lansford has no organized neighborhood watch, but the police department says they want to meet with residents to discuss one.

Vrablic said that he doesn’t believe that the police has received many reports of property vandalism. He encouraged residents to report any incidents to police, not Facebook.

Some residents have brought up a curfew as a way to reduce the number of vandalism incidents. The borough has a curfew ordinance on the books dating to 2008. But Vrablic said that parents should take responsibility for making sure that their minor children are home in the early morning hours, not police.

“Kids are out at 2-3 in the morning. Where are their parents?” he said.