Vigilance committees were effective in suppressing unlawful activity in boomtown locals around the west in the early 1800's. The committees were composed of collective citizens who sought to bring justice to bandits, robbers, gangs and trespassers that were conducting nefarious activities in and around their properties. Vigilance committees created a climate in which criminals thought twice before they committed a devious act. This ensured that law abiding folk could conduct their day-to-day business and transactions in relative peace.