Craig Clouser is our patrol captain this year. He registers our patrol with the precinct's community relations office and brings the window signs for the cars. Patrols cover our block and the two blocks on either side, with extra attention to the empty houses and the garages along the alley. Craig has the list of which houses are empty, and every driver gets a copy.

Two cars per shift, two people per car. Here's who's signed up as of the September meeting. Every "OPEN" is a seat that needs a neighbor in it.

(Yes, I took Saturday night off from the hospital. First time in three years. I'm doing two shifts so you'd better do one.)

Can't drive or can't stay up? You can still help. Porch sitters: if you're home anyway, sit by a front window with the lights on and the phone handy, and call Craig or 911 if you see something. Mrs. Bates and Mr. Connors have already said they'll be up all night, which nobody doubted.

1. Patrol in cars, never on foot. Drive slowly with your headlights on.
2. Always in pairs. One drives, one watches and writes.
3. Report, never confront. If you see a fire or anyone going into an empty house or a garage that isn't theirs, call 911 right away. Do not get out of the car. Do not follow anybody. Do not yell at anybody. You are eyes and ears, not police.
4. Write it down. Time, place, what you saw, what they looked like, which way they went, and any license plate. The police can use that. They can't use a hero.
5. Check in with Craig at the start and end of your shift, at his porch, so he knows who's out.
6. No weapons. None. If you bring one you will be sent home.
7. Carry a flashlight, a pen and paper, and a cell phone if you've got one. Craig will have two phones for cars that don't.
8. Stay on our patrol area. Other blocks have their own patrols. We don't want to scare each other.
9. Nobody under 18 on patrol. Young people can help by passing out flyers and checking that porch lights are on before dark.

• Porch light on, dusk to dawn, all three nights.
• Get anything that burns off your porch and out of your yard before the 29th: old furniture, mattresses, leaves, newspapers, trash. If you need help hauling, call me.
• Put your garbage cans in the garage or the back yard, not by the alley.
• Lock your garage. Check on your empty-house neighbors' yards too.
• Know your neighbors' names. If you don't, this is a good time to start.

To sign up, e-mail [email protected], come to the October 9 meeting in the church basement, or knock on Craig's door. Tell us which night and which shift, and whether you have a car.

My grandmother used to sit on her porch every Devil's Night in the '80s with the light on and a pitcher of water, just watching, all night long. She wasn't scared, she said. She just wanted them to know somebody was looking. That's all Angels' Night is. Somebody's looking. Be somebody.