Senior Patrols?

This is a very cute, nice human interest story. However, I can't help but feel uneasy about it. The article only mentions that they are looking out for suspicious objects, i.e., brefcases, boxes, things out of place. But what kind of a minor jump would be needed for them to start looking for suspicious people? What kind of training do they recieve?

Maybe it's just because I've often found myself considered "suspicious" based upon my appreance, when I wasn't doing anything "suspicious" at all, that makes me so wary of things like this. Especially since this story has such a warm and fuzzy spin on it. That's what I get for reading mainstream news.