I was just recently made aware of Assembly Bill 624 that is going to be reviewed by state legislators. This bill is a must for concerned citizens. The bill intends to provide civil immunity to neighborhood watch members who in good faith, report information to the local law enforcement agency about suspicious activities, persons, or vehicles in their neighborhood. That's what concerned citizens do!! Concerned citizens report suspicious activity in an attempt to keep their neighborhoods safe! Immunity from civil liability is a must to safeguard involved and conscientious neighborhood blockwatch members.
The bill goes on to "require a person who brings an action against the neighborhood watch member for damages related to the report to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the report of information was not made in good faith. In addition, if the neighborhood watch member is found to have acted in good faith in an action for damages, the court shall award him or her court costs and reasonable attorney fees." So, if someone wants to bring a suit against a neighborhood watch member who reported an incident, it is their burden to prove the report was not made in good faith and if they can't do this they pay your bill. As it should be!!
In order to get this bill passed the state legislators need to approve it. So...all the neighborhood watch people reading this blog contact your state legislators and encourage them to pass this bill. This is a long time in coming and this bill needs to be passed to protect all the concerned and active people involved in neighborhood watch organizations.
