But the retired janitor is tired of it and Thursday he took his first step in becoming a mobile neighborhood watch volunteer with the Salt Lake City Police Department.

'There's too much going on in the neighborhood,' he said before a training class. 'Guns, break-ins, stolen cars. I just decided to get involved and see if I can do any good.'

A dozen other concerned Salt Lake City residents, from Rose Park to Federal Heights, joined Dalton in learning how to help police control crime and nuisances in their neighborhoods.

The volunteers received a procedural manual and were lectured about police work and their role in supporting that work.

During upcoming training sessions, which will last from 10 to 12 hours, each volunteer will be introduced to the workings of the dispatch center, go into neighborhoods with experienced volunteers to learn how to deal with situations, and ride with officers when they respond to emergency calls and patrol city streets.

'We really rely on the eyes and ears of the community,' said detective and volunteer coordinator Rick Wall.

Volunteers always go out in pairs and are required to patrol for two hours every month. They will report on and deter crime, participate in DUI saturation programs, monitor and enforce handicap parking and assist with special operations. They do not carry guns and must follow strict guidelines so as not to interfere with or usurp police.

Wall said volunteers are meant to be trained observers not 'vigilantes.'

Since its inception in 1993, Salt Lake City has started eight neighborhood watch divisions with more than 100 volunteers.

Beth Arnett said noise problems, littering, illegal parking and drunken drivers 'very frequently' plague her Federal Heights neighborhood.

'There's a lot of fraternities up there and drinking and driving,' she said.

Arnett said she was assaulted two years ago by a drunken sorority member who pushed her when she asked the woman to leave her property.

But the 5-foot-1-inch tall Arnett said she sees nothing risky in becoming a volunteer for the police department.

'The police have structured the program and if we follow the rules, we'll be fine,' she said. 'We can help the police and we can help each other.'