Answer: that participation was voluntary
Step-by-step explanation:
The town of Boston established a Nights Watch in 1631 in order to protect the welfare of citizens by alerting them to possible danger. To be in the Nights Watch was voluntary so it was up to citizens to ensure their own safety.
This was however not always the case as not enough people volunteered so the town had to take certain measure to ensure that the Nights Watch had personnel. This included forcing conscripts into protecting the town as well as using people who had violated town laws.