Vigilante << `vihj` uh LAN tee >> is a member of a self-appointed citizen group called a vigilance committee. Such groups help fight criminal activity or other unruly behavior in their communities. Vigilante groups often form where people believe that regular law enforcement is inadequate.
Before 1900, many vigilante groups formed in frontier areas of the United States. Most of these groups consisted of law-abiding citizens who were generally considered heroes in their communities for their work in preserving law and order. But some frontier vigilantism involved mob action and excessive violence.
The growth of drug abuse and other crime in U.S. cities after 1960 led to the formation of modern, urban vigilance committees. These committees include anticrime patrols as well as neighborhood watch groups, whose members notify police of suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. But law enforcement authorities have accused some anticrime patrols of intruding upon the authority of local police departments and the criminal justice system. In some cases, for example, vigilante groups have used arson and murder to rid their neighborhoods of illegal-drug dealers.
