For two families who recently moved into the West End of Coatesville a series of arson's was what sparked them to decide it was time to form a Town Watch.

"The police can't do it all," said Andrea Fox, who moved into her Charles Street home 18 months ago. "We just want to feel safe in our own homes."

Two weeks ago, June 23, she and neighbor Jim Snyder attended a city council meeting to seek guidance on the proper way to form a Town Watch. "We want to do this the right way," Snyder said, tossing out an informal invitation to anyone who wanted to attend a meeting the following night at his home.

Police Chief William Matthews took him at his word. "I'll be there," he said.

"He was very helpful He said he was looking for citizen help just like this," said Knox, adding Matthews promised to provide the small group with training on what to look for and how suspicious incidents should be reported. "He promised us a direct line into the police department," she said.

Fox said there is a lot of support for a town watch in her neighborhood. "The more we get to know our neighbors the safer we all become," she said.

According to Fox, there will be different levels of participation. She suggested some members might be more comfortable just watching from their homes, while others might patrol their neighborhoods in their own cars while others might do foot patrols. "It depends on what they are comfortable with," she said.

Fox said Council Member Ed Simpson, also a West End resident, has shown support. "He has been helpful from the beginning."

Alan Smith, the city's latest Weed and Seed coordinator, and Linda Powell, who headed up a citywide Town Watch in the 90s that went defunct, also attended the meeting. Fox said her group is hoping to build off the previous Town Watch, such as using their bylaws as a guide.

It was shortly after Snyder and Fox attended the June 23 council meeting, that a young couple was shot to death execution style inside their Charles Street home located six blocks from where Fox lives.

She said the shooting only strengthened her and Synder's resolve. "I'm not going to let them run me out," she said.