Police Chief Cecil Smith of Sanford, Florida, where George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin last year, reportedly will soon announce new rules pertaining to Neighborhood Watch volunteers.
According to a Huff Post report based on an Orlando TV channel story, they will not be allowed to carry guns or to pursue suspects.
More below the Sanford squiggle.
In addition, the new rules are reported to require training of Neighborhood Watchers by police, and they must undergo background checks and report regularly.
The rules are to be announced at a community meeting on November 5.
The AP reports Chief Smith said in an interview, "We are getting back to what neighborhood watch is supposed to be."
While Florida is not an "open carry" state - guns can be carried concealed but they are to be secured in a holster, glove compartment or other container with a lid - the statute provides that "A person may openly carry, for purposes of lawful self-defense; ..."
How the Sanford rule to be proposed relates to state law and the stand your ground concept is not intuitively obvious. It seems likely that gun carry advocates will criticize the proposal for enabling Neighborhood Watch volunteers, possibly putting them in harm's way, but depriving them of an important right under state law.