The Settings tab controls how the Neighborhood Watch module behaves for your community — including who can submit incidents, whether submitted incidents require approval, whether attachments are allowed, the text shown on the submission page, and all email alert configuration.
Getting to Settings
- Navigate to Administer Site > Neighborhood Watch.
- Click the Settings tab.
The Settings screen has two tabs: General Settings and Notification Settings.
General Settings
Access Type
Controls which account types can submit incidents through the resident-facing site. Select the minimum account level required. Members below that level will not see the submission form.
Tip: Most communities set this to Members so that any logged-in resident can report an incident.
Default Message State
Controls the status that newly resident-submitted incidents receive automatically.
- On — Resident submissions are immediately published as Active and visible to all members.
- Off — Resident submissions arrive as Pending and are not visible to residents until an administrator reviews and changes the status to Active.
Tip: Set this to Off if you want an administrator to review every incident before it goes live. Incidents created directly by administrators are not affected by this setting — you always choose the status manually when creating or editing.
Allow File Attachments
- Yes — The file upload area appears on both the admin Create/Update form and the resident submission form.
- No — The file upload area is hidden. Existing attachments on previously saved incidents are unaffected.
Header
Optional rich-text content displayed at the top of the resident-facing Neighborhood Watch page — above the list of incidents and the submission form. Use this to provide context, rules for reporting, or contact information.
Footer
Optional rich-text content displayed at the bottom of the resident-facing Neighborhood Watch page.
Confirmation Message (required)
The message shown to a resident after they successfully submit an incident. This field is required. Use it to set expectations — for example, explaining that their report will be reviewed before it appears publicly.
Email Alert Settings
Click the Notification Settings sub-tab to configure whether email notifications are enabled and the sending details.
Email Alerts On/Off
The first option toggles the entire email alert system:
- On — Email alerts are enabled. The alert is sent whenever an administrator saves an incident as Active with the alert checkbox checked.
- Off — No email alerts are sent, regardless of what the alert checkbox shows when saving an incident.
When you set this to On, the email configuration fields appear below.
From Email (required when alerts are On)
The email address that appears in the From field of alert emails. Use an address that your members will recognize, such as your community's official contact address. This field is required when email alerts are enabled.
BCC Email (optional)
An additional email address that receives a blind copy of every alert. Use this to keep a board inbox or external record of all alerts sent. This field is optional.
Subject (optional)
The subject line for all Neighborhood Watch alert emails. If left blank, the system uses a default subject. Enter a custom subject to match your community's communication style — for example, "Neighborhood Watch Alert" or "Community Safety Notice."
Saving Settings
After making changes on either tab, click Save at the bottom of the page. Both tabs are saved together with a single save action.