George Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer in a Sanford neighborhood.

On the night of Feb. 26, he reported a suspicious individual standing on a street corner. Up to that point, he was well within his duty as a citizen. What happened next is where things turn tragic.

Though details are still emerging about that night, there are two things that are certain: Zimmerman was carrying a gun, and he fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

Now, the role of neighborhood watch groups has come under scrutiny. What responsibilities do these civilian organizations have in regards to law enforcement? How far should they go? Should they have weapons at all?

Many neighborhoods in East Orlando keep an eye out for trouble in a variety of ways, including neighborhood watch groups. So what are they doing differently to ensure that everyone participating in these efforts remains safe and responsible?

For the Avalon Park Neighborhood Watch Group, the emphasis stays on the reporting of suspicious activities. They go to great lengths to make sure that intervention is not a part of their policy.

"We don't patrol or anything like that," member Arnold DeJesus said. "We simply report what we see. We are an information sharing group."

The Avalon Park Neighborhood Watch consists of a network of more than 650 residents who have been instructed to simply contact the authorities if they witness something that could be considered a crime. They connect through email and Facebook to discuss possible situations.

Their efforts are in line with the goals that the Orange County Sherriff's Office outline for neighborhood watch groups in the area.

"We have a great relationship with the groups in our area," Captain Angelo Nieves, OCSO spokesperson, said. "We work with them closely and we work toward bringing down the crime rate."

Some communities bypass the civilian watch groups all together. The various incorporated neighborhoods in the Waterford Lakes development did away with neighborhood watch groups long ago in favor of more professional expertise.

Waterford Lakes property manager Ken Zook says that as long as he's been around, they've either hired off-duty sheriff's deputies or paid private security firms. The professionalism that you get with these choices are worth it, Zook said.

"The potential liability over using a volunteer who, by the way, is toting a gun, supposedly this could be devastating to that HOA," he said. "And unless the insurance can cover that aspect, it's going to be a tough situation for that group over there."

Eastwood, a Waterford subdivision, contracts Bob Williams, an employee of G4S Security, to patrol their properties in a marked SUV as well as on foot. He makes his rounds unarmed.

"It's nice to see him driving around all the time," resident James Matamoros said.

Matamoros went on to say that the security officer can take his job a little too seriously sometimes, citing an instance when Williams took down his charity yard sale signs, but the trade-off of having someone who knows what they're doing provides a feeling of added safety.

"It's good to know that there's a trained professional out there who's giving 100 percent to doing their job."