PRIDE IN SERVICE

Neighbors helping keep the Castro safe, welcoming, and vibrant for everyone!

The Castro thrives because of its people – residents, business owners, community organizations, and visitors who care deeply about the neighborhood, its long history, and its legacy of LGBTQ+ support and strength.  Castro Community On Patrol is a volunteer-based nonprofit neighborhood safety presence that supports that mission.

We are always recruiting new unpaid volunteers to help strengthen safety and community visibility in the Castro.

WHAT OUR VOLUNTEERS DO

Our Patrollers serve as a calm, visible, and supportive safety presence in the neighborhood by:

  • Walking in teams of three within the residential and business areas
  • Supporting a welcoming environment for residents, customers, and visitors
  • Observing and reporting concerns to emergency responders when needed
  • Assisting with a visible event safety presence during busy nights and community events
  • Helping connect individuals to appropriate city services when necessary

Patrollers do not enforce laws or engage in confrontations. Our role is observation, visibility, and support.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Our Patrol volunteers come from all walks of life, and from all parts of the San Francisco Bay Area. Anyone of 18 years of age or older is welcome and encouraged to join us.  Our Patrollers are:

  • Community-minded residents and allies
  • People who want to give back in a flexible, low-commitment way
  • Anyone who can commit 3 hours per month
  • No prior experience required – we will provide all training

Have questions before signing up as a Patroller with us, feel free to reach out to us using our CONTACT US option.

JOIN NOW

Be part of a long-standing tradition of community-led safety in one of San Francisco’s most iconic neighborhoods, with the longest-serving and most recognized volunteer walking safety organization in the community:

Encourage a friend to volunteer with you, so you can Patrol the neighborhood together.

Keeping the Castro safe together – since 2006

REQUIREMENTS

Minimum requirements for CCOP Patrol Volunteers are:

  1. You must be at least 18 years of age (no upper limit applies)
  2. You must be able to comply with our CCOP Volunteer Code of Conduct & Ethical Principles Policy
  3. You may not have been convicted of a Felony, or a violence or theft related misdemeanor.
  4. You must be able to walk continuously for up to 3 hours
  5. You must be able to hold a cell phone, radio, and flashlight
  6. You must have a good enough command of English in order to communicate with emergency dispatchers, emergency responders and members of the public

If you meet the above requirements, please pre-register to join our next Patrol Volunteer basic training class shown to the right.

(NOTE: You are NOT committed to patrolling by attending any of our training classes. We certainly hope you will, but patrolling is certainly not for everyone and we understand that. The best patrollers, are those who want to be there for the right reasons.)

REGISTER FOR VOLUNTEER TRAINING

Basic training for all CCOP Patrol volunteers involves reading a Basic Training manual which is sent electronically, attending a 2-hour instruction course held via ZOOM and scheduled at a mutually suitable date and time, then completing four (4) supervised patrols within six (6) months of completing the ZOOM Basic Training class.  Simply register using the link below, and we will contact you to arrange a 2-hour training date and time.

To request our Basic Training manual please CLICK HERE TO REGISTER WITH EVENTBRITE

NOTE We use Eventbrite to capture your registration details only.  The dates shown in Eventbrite are NOT the dates of training. We will work with you directly to set up a suitable date and time for the 2-hour on-line Zoom training once you have read the Basic Training manual.

Once we receive your registration we will email with the Basic Training Manual and additional instructions to you. If you have any problems registering, please reach out to us using the CONTACT US option above or directly by email to INFO@CastroPatrol.org.

Additional training opportunities are provided throughout the year which is available at no cost to all Patrollers and includes:

  • First Aid / CPR / AED Certification
  • Basic Self-Defense Techniques & Concepts
  • NARCAN training
  • Community Safety Volunteer training
  • Active Shooter training

Advanced training opportunities are also provided to more experienced Patrollers in order to advance them in rank to Senior Patroller status.

“SAFETY is a COMMUNITY EFFORT”

Castro Community On Patrol (Castro Patrol / CCOP) is a California nonprofit volunteer safety patrol and education corporation that focuses on enhancing safety and security of the Castro neighborhood in San Francisco for residents, businesses, employees, and visitors.

VOLUNTEER
DONATE NOW

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Castro Community On Patrol, 584 Castro Street #731, San Francisco, CA 94114

Federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation Tax ID: 99-1829349  

We acknowledge that we are on the ancestral lands of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Region.  We honor the Indigenous peoples who have stewarded this land for generations. We recognize the ongoing connection of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe to this land. We pay respect to the elders, past, present, and emerging. We commit to supporting Indigenous rights and sovereignty. We encourage learning about the history and culture of the local tribes throughout California and the World.