GULF SHORES, Ala. – While Josh Coleman was working the night shift as a patrol officer for Gulf Shores Police Department, he had was thinking of ways to be involved in the community.

From doing a an event conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Agency to collect and dispose outdated prescription drugs, to a volunteer chaplain program to running the department’s Facebook page to getting the city’s neighborhood watch program started.

“It’s kind of a recurring theme here,” Coleman said. “I would always go in and ask if we could do these programs.”

And, generally, the answer was yes.

“Actually I worked on some side projects,” Coleman said with a grin. “That’s what I called it anyway.”

It led to a new job title and duties for Coleman who was named the Community Resource Officer in January.

“ So all of those things showed that we could use that type of assignment,” he said. “The chief ultimately decided, based on a grant that we received, COPS, a Community Oriented Policing Services grant that actually gave the assignment direction.”

Recently Coleman brought on his first neighborhood watch program in Palmetto Woods off of Regency Road in the western part of the city.

“We had our first neighborhood meeting on March 6 at the library,” Coleman said. “We did a crime prevention program. Basically did a 45-minute crime prevention program and a meet-and-greet.

“Tips on crime prevention, just being an extra set of eyes and ears and if they see anything suspicious. They live there so they know what’s supposed to be there versus not.”

Getting a neighborhood watch program is a fairly simply process, Coleman. Interested citizens start by calling Coleman’s office at 251-968-3557. Then enough neighbors have to agree to the program.

“What we require is that 50 percent of the neighborhood,” he said. “It sort of depends on the interest with that one person that says ‘let’s check into neighborhood watch’ and that person calls the police department. That’s how this one worked.

“You’ve got to know the neighborhood’s behind it and 50 percent I believe is a fair number.”

Coleman says the department doesn’t run the program but is a source of information for the groups who are interested.

“We’re more facilitators than actually running it,” he said. “That person that’s interested, they have to get out and sort of hit the bushes, checking with their neighbors and stuff like that.

“If anybody has any questions they can call my office number and I’d be happy to give them more information and explain what they would need to do to get that subdivision or their neighborhood signed on.”

Coleman hopes Palmetto Woods opening the program will spur more other neighborhoods in the city to organize.

“Palmetto Woods, this is just really advertisement that we are starting and we’re looking at neighborhoods,” he said. “There’s another (possible) one on Meeker Lane. They just recently got annexed into the city and I’ve already had one call.”

Eventually, Coleman hopes those that organize can start their own email notification network run by the watch captain. He can sent alerts or tips or advisories and those can be forwarded to those in the neighborhood.

In the future, Coleman expects to start an Explorer program for teen-agers to learn about law enforcement.

Another new initiative he’s working on is called Volunteers in Police Service.

“We’re looking at making those people clerical support type people,” he said. “When it comes down to it we’re going to be picky about who is chosen. We’ve got three job descriptions and one of them is actually going to call for retired former law enforcement due to confidentially issues.”

These will be support positions and not involve the volunteers doing law enforcement.

“All of these job descriptions, they would assist officers or they would assist records,” Coleman said. “I’ve already talked with one lady who is retired from the U.S. Marshal Service. So we have plenty of opportunities, it’s just making sure we handle the paperwork properly on the city side.”