CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Neighbors in Plaza-Midwood have a new take on how to deter crime, and they’re calling on someone other than the police to help make it happen.

Except for occasional headlights at night, some streets in Plaza- Midwood are pitch black. And neighbors fear that could make residents an easy target for crime.

“I don’t want to be another victim. I want to save that victim before it happens,” said Rob Willis with the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood association.

The pedestrian friendly community is being proactive. They contacted the Charlotte Department of Transportation about shedding light on the dark spots.

Neighbors are drawing up a map of where they want the lights to go and gathering signatures to show support for the plan.

“The street lights were put in the 1940s. They weren't designed for what we've got now- a vibrant neighborhood where people are out all hours of the night,” said Tom Sapp, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years.

Willis said the polls are already up, and it would require adding light fixtures to them.

New lights could cost between $600 to $1,200 per light, and some federal stimulus money is available to help pay for the project.