George Zimmerman during his second-degree murder trial for the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla.

The Sanford Police Department is changing the rules on how residents under the neighborhood watch program operate to prevent another shooting of an unarmed civilian like Trayvon Martin, reported Reuters.

The new rules, laid out in a more detailed handbook to be released on Nov. 5, explicitly state that neighborhood watch volunteers may not carry a firearm or pursue a person they deem suspicious. Any member who violates the rules and carries a weapon will be removed from the program but not charged with a crime.

Cecil Smith, Sanford police chief, told the Associated Press, "We just don't see the need for anybody to be armed" because watch volunteers should be talking to each and neighbors about community happenings.

The new rules are an effort to revive the program's reputation after George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch leader in Sanford, shot and killed unarmed 17-year-old high school student Trayvon Martin in February 2012. The prosecution accused Zimmerman of racially profiling Martin and then pursuing, confronting, and shooting him. However, Zimmerman was acquitted by the jury in light of Florida's Stand Your Ground law.

Shannon Cordingly, spokesperson of the Sanford Police Department, told Reuters:

"People in the community are nervous to join a group (neighborhood watch) that was tarnished in the media and got a bad image with everything that happened. We really want to put those fears to rest and get the community going on the program."