Neighbourhoods · 6 min read · February 26, 2026 · By Clayton Hartford
Keeping Walkerville safe: volunteers wanted for the Walkerville Community Safety Patrol
Walkerville was its own town before it was ever part of Windsor, with its own fire brigade and its own police. That spirit of looking after our own never left. Now we're putting it to work again: we're recruiting neighbours for a volunteer community safety patrol, so everyone who lives in, works in or visits Walkerville can enjoy the safety, security and peace of mind this neighbourhood deserves.
The short version
What: The Walkerville Community Safety Patrol, a volunteer neighbourhood safety group for Walkerville and the Distillery District in Windsor, Ontario.
Why: More eyes on the street, faster calls to the right people and more peace of mind for residents, businesses and visitors.
Who: Neighbours 18 and over who live, work or own property in or near Walkerville.
Time: As little as one evening walk a month, always in pairs or small groups.
Before you patrol: A police background check and our training.
Apply: Fill in the form below. It takes about three minutes.
Can't volunteer? Donate toward cameras, mobile camera units, volunteer gear, and coffee for the people and K9 partners who walk the night shift.
Walkerville: a town that always looked after its own
Walkerville didn't start as a Windsor neighbourhood. In 1858 Hiram Walker bought farmland east of Windsor, built his distillery and planned a whole community around it: worker housing, churches, a post office, a railway station and schools. The Town of Walkerville was incorporated in 1890 and stayed independent until 1935, when it was annexed by the City of Windsor.
As a town, Walkerville ran its own civic services, including its own police force, fire brigade, waterworks and electric light company. We tell the full story in The history of Walkerville. Nearly a century after annexation, Walkerville still feels like its own place: a tight-knit heritage neighbourhood where people know their neighbours. A volunteer safety patrol builds on that tradition.
Why Walkerville needs a community safety patrol
We've hosted guests in Walkerville for about seven years, and the question we hear most from visitors and from people thinking of moving here is some version of "Is Walkerville safe?" or "Is it safe to walk around at night?" The honest answer is that Walkerville is one of Windsor's most walkable, lively and welcoming neighbourhoods. But like any busy city neighbourhood it has its share of break-ins, broken streetlights, people in crisis and problems that go unreported because everyone assumes someone else already called.
People come to Walkerville looking for security, safety and peace of mind: families buying their first home, seniors who want to walk to Wyandotte for coffee, business owners on the strip, and visitors staying the weekend. A visible, friendly, well-trained volunteer patrol helps all of them.
Other communities have shown what organized neighbours can do. Volunteer patrols in many North American cities walk their streets, look out for vulnerable people, help find missing children and seniors, and call in problems quickly. We want to build a Walkerville version that's open to everyone, works alongside Windsor Police and stays firmly in its lane.
It also fits where the city is heading. Windsor and Essex County's 2026–2029 Community Safety and Well-Being Plan calls for expanding Neighbourhood Watch, piloting community safety audits and helping residents share responsibility for safety. We'd like Walkerville to lead on that.
More eyes, more care, faster calls: neighbours looking out for neighbours.
What volunteers do, and what they don't
Volunteers will
- Walk set routes through Walkerville and the Distillery District in visible vests, in pairs or small groups.
- Call 911 for emergencies and the Windsor Police non-emergency line for everything else.
- Report broken streetlights, graffiti, dumping and hazards to the city's 311 line.
- Help people who are lost, hurt or in distress, and walk neighbours or visitors to their cars or doors on request.
- Help with community safety walks, events and searches for missing people when asked.
Volunteers will never
- Act as police, wear police-style uniforms or badges, or claim any authority they don't have.
- Use force, chase anyone, detain anyone or carry weapons.
- Confront people, or treat anyone as a suspect because of how they look or because they're unhoused.
- Photograph, record or post about people online.
Our rule is simple: observe, report, help. If something looks dangerous, volunteers step back and call it in. That's what keeps the patrol and our neighbours safe.
What we ask of you
- Be 18 or older and live, work or own property in or near Walkerville.
- Complete a police background check before your first shift. We'll walk you through it.
- Complete our training, covering de-escalation, first aid, how to call in incidents and how to respond to people in a mental health crisis.
- Sign our code of conduct and follow it on every shift.
- Give what time you can. One evening walk a month makes a difference. You choose your shifts.
Not everyone wants to walk, and that's fine. We also need people to help with scheduling, communications, training, translation and fundraising.
How it will roll out
- First: Collect applications, hold a neighbourhood meeting and invite Windsor Police and the city to walk the area with us.
- Next: Background checks and training for our founding volunteers.
- Then: Start with Friday and Saturday evening patrols on Wyandotte Street East and through the Distillery District, and publish a short report on what we see and do each month.
- After that: Review how it's going with residents and police, and grow only if the neighbourhood wants it.
Apply to volunteer
Tell us a bit about yourself. We'll be in touch about the first meeting and next steps. Applying doesn't commit you to anything.
Support the patrol: donate
Not everyone can walk the night shift, but everyone can help keep the people who do warm, awake and well equipped. Every dollar goes to the patrol and nothing else, and we'll publish what we raise and what we spend it on.
$10
Coffee for the night shift
Keeps a pair of volunteers caffeinated through a late patrol.
$25
K9 partners
Treats, water, reflective vests and lights for volunteers who patrol with their own dogs.
$75
Volunteer kit
A hi-vis vest, flashlight, radio share and first aid kit for one volunteer.
$250
Cameras
Helps fund a camera at a participating home or business, watching its own entrance.
Any amount
Mobile camera unit fund
Saving toward solar-powered mobile camera units that can be placed, with the owner's permission, on properties that need extra eyes, such as parking lots, dark lanes and event sites.
How to donate
1. Tell us what you're giving with the short form below, so we can thank you and track where it goes.
2. Send an Interac e-Transfer to hello@distilleryhomes.com with the message "Safety Patrol" and what it's for (for example "Coffee" or "Cameras").
Common questions
Is Walkerville a safe neighbourhood?
Walkerville is one of Windsor's most walkable and community-minded neighbourhoods, with busy streets, independent shops and long-time residents who look out for each other. Like any city neighbourhood it has some property crime and other problems. The Walkerville Community Safety Patrol exists to add more eyes on the street and get problems reported faster.
Was Walkerville its own town?
Yes. Hiram Walker founded the community around his distillery in 1858. The Town of Walkerville was incorporated in 1890 and had its own civic services, including police and fire, until the City of Windsor annexed it in 1935.
Is there a neighbourhood watch in Walkerville?
The Walkerville Community Safety Patrol is a new volunteer neighbourhood safety group that is recruiting now. Apply using the form on this page.
Is this a police force?
No. It's a group of unpaid neighbourhood volunteers. Volunteers don't enforce the law, use force or detain anyone. They observe, help people and report problems to Windsor Police, 911 or 311.
Who can volunteer?
Adults 18 and over who live, work or own property in or near Walkerville, and who are willing to complete a police background check and our training before their first shift.
How much time does it take?
As little as one evening walk a month. Patrols run in pairs or small groups, and you choose the shifts that suit you.
Do volunteers get paid?
No. All patrol roles are volunteer roles.
How can I donate to the Walkerville Community Safety Patrol?
Fill in the short pledge form on this page, then send an Interac e-Transfer to hello@distilleryhomes.com with the message "Safety Patrol". Donations fund coffee for overnight volunteers, supplies for volunteers who patrol with their dogs, volunteer kits, cameras and a fund for mobile camera units. The patrol isn't a registered charity, so donations aren't eligible for tax receipts.
Will there be overnight patrols?
Yes, for volunteers who choose them. Overnight shifts always run in pairs or small groups, and volunteers follow the same rules as every other shift: observe, report, help.
I want to help but can't walk patrols. Can I still join?
Yes. Organizing, communications, training, translation and fundraising matter just as much. Tick those boxes on the form.
Not ready to apply?
Email hello@distilleryhomes.com with questions or ideas, or share this page with a neighbour who'd be great at this.
Sources
- 2026–2029 Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, Executive Summary, City of Windsor
- Windsor Police Auxiliary, Windsor Police Service
Related: The history of Walkerville · The Walkerville guidebook · Why travellers skip hotels and stay in Walkerville