A Brooklyn neighborhood is attempting a new experiment to help change the dynamics of law enforcement in New York.

On Sunday (June 4), The New York Times shared an article detailing the venture. In April, local residents participated in Brownsville In Violence Out. Through the initative, locals, instead of police, respond to lower-level street crime.

During one instance, a group of teenagers reportedly ran up Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville cursing and chasing a girl. Five plainclothes officers watched as the encounter took place, the outlet shared. Across the street stood nearly six men dressed in purple and gray sweatshirts with jeans. “They got it,” one of the cops said. Once the teenagers spotted the men, they slowed down. The B.I.V.O. members signaled for the teens to head in a different direction. They dispersed as the girl they initially chased went down a side street.

According to the report, Brownsville In Violence Out participants serve several times a year as a patrol on two blocks for five days. Instead of authorities responding to calls that fall in the lower-level category, they send them to the civilians in the area. Police shadow the residents’ efforts. They only intervene if a major incident occurs or an arrest needs to be made, which the civilians don’t have the power to do.

Thus far, the experiment has resulted in individuals handing over illegal firearms, preventing shoplifting, and stopping an individual from robbing a bodega, per NYT. It is part of the Brownsville Safety Alliance, comprised of neighborhood and city groups, officers, and Kings County District Attorney’s Office members. Its goal is to reduce the number of people entangled with the criminal justice system.

Through the next three years, the city will fund $2.1 million to unite the local groups with the alliance, so they can operate collectively throughout the year.