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Controlling Who Can Submit Incidents

Updated 5/4/2026

By default, only administrators can create incidents through the admin area. You can also allow residents to submit incidents through the resident-facing site. This article explains how to configure that access and how submitted incidents are handled.

Setting the Access Level

  1. Navigate to Administer Site > Neighborhood Watch.
  2. Click the Settings tab.
  3. Under the General Settings tab, find the Access Type setting.
  4. Select the minimum account level that should be able to submit incidents. Only members at or above that level will see the submission form on the resident site.
  5. Click Save.

Controlling Whether Submissions Are Published Immediately

When residents submit incidents, you control whether they go live immediately or wait for administrator review:

  1. In the same Settings > General Settings tab, find Default Message State.
  2. Set to On — resident submissions are published as Active immediately (visible to all residents, eligible for email alerts if an administrator later edits and triggers one).
  3. Set to Off — resident submissions arrive as Pending. An administrator must open the incident, review it, change the status to Active, and save before it becomes visible.

Tip: Setting Default Message State to Off is recommended if you want to verify accuracy and appropriateness before incidents are published community-wide.

Reviewing Pending Incidents

When a resident submits an incident and Default Message State is Off:

  1. Navigate to Administer Site > Neighborhood Watch.
  2. Use the Status filter and select Pending to see all incidents awaiting review.
  3. Click the description of an incident to open it.
  4. Review the content. If it is appropriate to publish:
    • Change Status to Active.
    • Check Send an email incident alert to all subscribed members if you want to notify residents.
    • Click Save.
  5. If the incident should not be published, change the Status to Disabled or click Delete.

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