ONSET, Mass. -- Citizen crime-fighters are taking on a more prominent role as police budgets tighten.

NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported that with limited resources, local police departments are turning to volunteers to help them patrol the streets. Onset, which is part of Wareham, tends to double in size during the summer.

VIDEO: Citizen Crime-Fighters Take On Prominent Role

"We are trying to make the Village of Onset a safer place to live and a safer place to visit," said George Coleman, of Onset Crime Watch.

Coleman is putting in about 75 hours per week volunteering.

"The storefront -- there are actually 43 volunteers that are working," he said.

The community crime watch storefront is right in the middle of Onset Avenue.

"It is working well having the extra eyes and ears in the community. They may observe what they perceive to be a drug deal. We have cameras, and they monitor the street. It gives us the extra information that we may not have otherwise," Wareham Police Department Lt. Irving Wallace said.

"We all carry Nextels, which are programmed directly to the police station," Coleman said. "There were all kinds of drug deals being done in the middle of the street -- day and night. Nothing was being done about it. So, basically, that is why we opened this office to try and cure that problem."