The city of Hartford, Connecticut, like many American cities, has a crime problem.

Some of the residents of Hartford, unlike many American cities, are taking a serious step to address that crime. Bishop Dexter Burke of the Walk in The Light Church of God is the head of an effort to form an armed neighborhood patrol to deter criminals.

In Hartford, different measures are being discussed to combat crime in the capital city.

One of those methods includes an armed neighborhood watch that is set to begin Saturday.

That armed self-defense brigade starts in the north end Saturday morning at 10 a.m. 

The bishop behind it said something different needs to be done.

A group of armed individuals will patrol Garden Street in the north end of Hartford.

Bishop Dexter Burke of the Walk in The Light Church of God is spear-heading this effort. He said the community has had enough.

One might point out that this is one of the precise reasons the Second Amendment exists — to ensure that, in extremis, the populace is secure in their homes and possessions.

That being the case, one has to wonder just how bad things have to get before a blue city in a blue state can suddenly arrive at the determination that good guys with guns are the best deterrent to bad guys with guns, but the fact is that Bishop Burke has arrived at that determination and has brought others around to his way of thinking; that's what community leaders do.

The members of the neighborhood patrol have apparently followed all of Connecticut's draconian gun laws.

Burke talked about why he’s helping organize these armed patrols and how it’ll work.

“They are licensed. And I’ve said this before, they’re licensed by the state of Connecticut. It’s not just some people running around with guns. These are individuals who are competent and who’ve done this before, they are professionals, they are educated. They’re law-abiding citizens and they’re saying we’re willing to help the police,” said Burke.

A local television outlet also covered the story, notably a member of the watch describing how things will work. The watch members have received training and have legal carry permits, and they are teaching other community members about the process for obtaining such a permit, legally obtaining firearms, and learning how to safely and effectively handle them.

The group is cleaning up the streets of Hartford in more ways than one: They are also literally cleaning up, picking up litter in the course of their patrols. Taking some pride in the community is always worthwhile.

Residents of Hartford, Connecticut form an armed community watch group to protect their town from the rise in violence.

As leftist leaders continue to defund the police, expect more of these groups to form to defend themselves. pic.twitter.com/v6ChdxMrcP

— MRCTV (@mrctv) March 13, 2024

The Hartford Police Department has not commented on the issue.

See Related: Robber Finds Out That Early Bird Gets the Bullet After Trying to Mug Armed Citizen 

Armed Homeowner Delivers Fatal Lesson About Why It Was a Bad Idea to Break Into His Home

This is an interesting development for Hartford and one that has great implications for other cities that are suffering from street crime. There's an old saying that goes, "When seconds count, the police are only minutes away," and these residents of Hartford are acknowledging this and taking responsibility for the safety and security of their neighborhoods.

It will be interesting, as we move ahead, to see what comes of this initiative. If the crime rate in Hartford suddenly drops, will cities like Chicago and Detroit — or the nation's capital — take note? Doubtful, but as a famous poet once said, hope springs eternal.