July – August 2008
In this issue:
- San Antonio, Texas, Police Department
- Community Patrols of New Zealand
- Ocala, Florida, Police Department
- Vail, Colorado, Police Department
- Burleson, Texas, Police Department
- Macomb County, Michigan, Sheriff's Office
- Delray Beach, Florida, Police Department
- Portland, Oregon, Police Bureau
- Chandler, Arizona, Police Department
- Midwest City, Oklahoma, Police Department
- Waco, Texas, Police Department
- Gilroy, California, Police Department
- St. George, Utah, Police Department
San Antonio, Texas, Police Department
Volunteer Cops Get New Incentive
July 02, 2008
People who volunteer to keep their neighborhoods safe are now getting free gas for their cars. On a recent Wednesday, the city announced they'll be providing $5,000 worth of gas cards for people who participate in the "Citizens on Patrol" program in Southwest San Antonio. COP volunteers say they each spend as many as 15 hours a week serving as the eyes and ears of the San Antonio Police Department. City leaders hope to be able to expand the program. The Citizens on Patrol volunteers say they'll use the gas cards to continue to watch for vandals and graffiti in their area.
VIPS Program Page | San Antonio Police Department | WOAI.com
Community Patrols of New Zealand
Police reward crime busters
July 04, 2008
Grant Marvin and Janne Breetvelt of the Blockhouse Bay, Auckland, New Zealand, community patrol group were presented with certificates for their role in rescuing a woman who was being stalked by a motorist. The Block Bay community patrol is affiliated with the Community Patrols of New Zealand. A member of the public phoned police after noticing someone following the woman in Waterview. "The patrolling pair heard the incident on their police radio but it was out of their local area," patrol group trainer Garry Miller says. "When they heard no police unit was available, Grant used his common sense and chose to assist." The volunteers located the victim on Blockhouse Bay Road, identified themselves and offered her refuge in their marked vehicle. "The actions of the community patrol in providing assistance and reassurance prior to the arrival of police is a fine example of the benefits to the community Blockhouse Bay community patrol New Zealand provides," he says.
VIPS Program Page | Community Patrols of New Zealand | Western Leader
Ocala, Florida, Police Department
Ocala's first female volunteer commander
July 14, 2008
Kathy Coyne may not meet all the prerequisites of a super-hero, but the petite brunette can transform herself through a change of attire from a demure insurance claims supervisor to a leader of crime fighters. Coyne — that’s Sgt. Coyne to the cadre of City Watch volunteers — was recently promoted to the lead slot of the ancillary unit of the Ocala, Florida, Police Department. Distinguishable by their two-tone blue uniforms with City Watch badges, the unarmed volunteers have a wide range of law enforcement tools at their disposal. From issuing verbal warnings to writing parking citations and assisting lost motorists, Coyne and her unit aid the department by performing a host of police-related functions. Coyne is among the 18 volunteers comprising the current City Watch unit. They average eight to 10 hours weekly.
VIPS Program Page | Ocala Police Department | Star Banner
Vail, Colorado, Police Department
Volunteers ‘A huge help’ for Vail police
July 18, 2008
Paul Kuzniar walked inside a building with his wife, Barbara Jean, as she carried a fake bomb in a shopping bag to help train Vail Police. Kuzniar and his wife, who work with Vail Volunteers in Police Service, were one of several volunteers who helped to train police on how to spot terrorists carrying bombs into bus terminals. Police volunteers help out with such training, and help control crowds during special events such as Vail’s Fourth of July parade. They do maintenance work at a battered women’s shelter, work in police’s lost-and-found, run police auctions, help police pay the department’s bills and do other tasks. An assignment to help Vail Police begins with an e-mail from Gilda Kaplan, the program’s coordinator. But she doesn’t work the hardest: One police volunteer catalogues digital crime scene photos four days each week at the police department, Kaplan said. Kaplan planned Thursday to help pass out cards to East Vail residents at Bighorn Park. Those cards will let residents avoid frontage road traffic when Vail Pass is closed.
VIPS Program Page | Vail Police Department | Vail Daily
Burleson, Texas, Police Department
Citizens hit the road on bikes
July 23, 2008
Half a dozen Burleson Citizens On Patrol members can now help both the city and the environment by conducting bicycle patrols. The Burleson Police Department recently hosted its first bicycle certification course for civilians, and COP members have already started patrolling on their personal bikes rather than in their vehicles. The COPs members who completed the course will continue to pursue the same goals they always have — now they simply have the ability to cover more terrain. The COPs members will be easily identifiable by their light blue polo shirts emblazoned with words “Citizens On Patrol.” All COPs members are required to wear bicycle safety helmets. The certification is based on the International Police Mountain Bike Association Police Cyclist course, but the trainees are not certified through IPMBA. The four-hour class comprised two hours inside the classroom and two hours riding bikes. All program attendees passed their tests — both written and practical — and worked through a skills course. The course focused on safe operations, slow-speed maneuvers and braking techniques, according to a press release. Volunteers learned seven skills to earn their certification: mount and dismount, slow-speed control, emergency braking, straight-line control, weaving, the S Turn and the Figure 8.
VIPS Program Page | Burleson Police Department | Burleson-Crowley Connection
Macomb County, Michigan, Sheriff's Office
Reserve units boost officers' ranks and reach
July 27, 2008
Paul White got the call about a woman missing in Lake St. Clair and immediately got ready to help. The former Navy officer donned his Macomb County Sheriff's uniform and, along with dozens of other county reserve officers, tirelessly searched the waters off Metro Beach in Harrison Township. The body of the drowning victim was recovered July 17, four days after she disappeared. White is one of hundreds of reserve law enforcement officers in metro Detroit who spend their spare time doing work that's almost on par with that of a sheriff's deputy or police officer -- and they do it for free. Area officials say the reservists -- who most often work crowd and traffic control at big events -- are being used now more than ever by cash-strapped municipalities whose police forces have suffered thanks to budget cuts. Last year, Macomb County reservists worked about 30,000 hours. That's up from about 25,000 hours the year before. Macomb County boasts the most reservists in the area with 280. Both Oakland and Wayne counties have about 100 reserve officers apiece. Area reserve officers have to undergo background checks and graduate from a special training academy to earn their badges.
VIPS Program Page | Macomb County Sheriff's Office | Detroit Free Press
Delray Beach, Florida, Police Department
Retired couple would rather patrol the city than play cards
July 28, 2008
When Milton and Irene Liberman spotted a notice that the Delray Beach Police Department was looking for volunteers, the couple didn't hesitate. They signed on, got certified, fingerprinted and began a twice-weekly patrol that has lasted for eight years. Twice a week, the octogenerian couple climbs into a car marked Citizens Observer Patrol at the Mae Volen Senior Center on Congress Avenue. For two hours, they drive around the city from Pines of Delray North to Rainberry Bay, and if they see something worth reporting, an accident or fight, volunteers are armed with a cell phone to report their findings. The Libermans are just two of some 400 volunteers patrolling the city by car, by sea and to enforce parking regulations. It is one of the largest volunteer forces of any police department of its size, according to the department's volunteer coordinator Andrew Arena, amounting to an in-kind contribution of an estimated $1 million annually.
VIPS Program Page | Delray Beach Police Department | Sun Sentinel
Portland, Oregon, Police Bureau
Tabor patrol pushes on after 2,000 trips
July 31, 2008
When the Mount Tabor Foot Patrol completed its 2,000th trek this month, members did what any good citizens group would do. They gathered for a few speeches and refreshments, then organized their next walk. Mount Tabor and Portland neighborhoods' other foot patrols could use some help. With two dozen members, the eight year-old Tabor patrol is one of the city's most successful. Citywide, patrols peaked at about 90 a decade ago and now number about a dozen. Portland launched citizen patrols in 1988 as part of a community-policing program. Most were organized around business districts, parks, housing complexes, and neighborhoods. Today's groups include one that cruises the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood on bikes. The Mount Tabor patrol gets started one night by slipping into brightly colored vests and checking first-aid supplies, cell phones, and trash bags. Volunteers spend the next two hours strolling Mount Tabor Park, picking up litter, reporting vandalism and graffiti, and helping visitors. Sometimes, the volunteers report a homeless camp, abandoned vehicles, or drinking. But mostly, they chat with runners and hikers or point out views and upcoming concerts to newcomers. When they spot suspicious activity, they call their precinct officer. Patrol members, who head out about 25 times a month, say just being visible makes a difference.
VIPS Progam Page | Portland Police Bureau | Oregonian
Chandler, Arizona, Police Department
Police volunteers save city more than $200,000
August 07, 2008
In 2007, the 72 volunteers logged almost 12,000 hours of work that would normally have to be done by paid officers or clerical staff, according to numbers provided by the police department's budget office. In addition, the department has 17 reserve officers, all retired former Chandler police who maintain their training and weapons licenses in order to volunteer. Dale Kline spent most of his morning on a Santan Freeway exit ramp with a stranded motorist he found sitting in her hot, debilitated car on a July morning. He pulled over and let her sit in his air-conditioned patrol vehicle while she waited for a tow. The other Chandler police volunteer working that day, Carl White, spent the first several hours of his shift looking for handicapped-parking violators and tagging an abandoned vehicle. The pair are just two of about 30 motor-assist volunteers who spend their time on the road tackling duties that would typically tie up patrol officers. When a vehicle accident happens, it's usually a volunteer who waits for the tow truck. When residents need their fingerprints taken for job applications or other reasons, it's a volunteer who rubs their fingers with ink. Volunteers work in victim services, planning, criminal analysis, other departments in the agency, and freeing more officers to be on the street. Some are retirees; others are younger and hope to move into an academy and eventually become officers.
VIPS Program Page | Chandler Police Department | Arizona Republic
Midwest City, Oklahoma, Police Department
Midwest City eyes allowing volunteers to act as parking enforcers
August 13, 2008
City leaders are considering beefing up a program that allows volunteers to issue parking citations. Police Chief Brandon Clabes said the program has been in place for several years, but a proposed change to the ordinance would give volunteer parking enforcement officers authority to ticket drivers with expired car tags. "Generally when there is an expired tag, there are insurance and driver's license issues,” Clabes said. "This could lead to getting people who are driving illegally off the road before they cost other drivers.” City Attorney Randal Homburg said the city council later this month will consider expanding the ordinance. An important component of the ordinance makes it against the law for anyone to interfere with, assault or obstruct a parking enforcement officer. Those found guilty could be fined up to $750 and jailed for up to 60 days, he said. He said volunteers are issued citation books and granted the authority to ticket drivers who violate parking ordinances, such as parking in a handicap space, or having an expired car tag. Volunteers are required to complete a 16-hour course and pass a background check. There's no badge or uniform, but parking enforcement officers are given an identification card, he said. Volunteers look for violations at their leisure, Clabes said.
VIPS Program Page | Midwest City Police Department | The Oklahoman
Waco, Texas, Police Department
Victims services team offers help in toughest times
August 24, 2008
Rock-hard nerves and a tender heart are needed to help crime victims at their point of crisis. Just ask the 33 members of the Waco Police Department Victim Services Unit. Members of the unit, three paid staff members and 30 volunteers, are dispatched on cases from sexual assaults and fatality accidents to questionable deaths and family violence. They lend a sympathetic ear and helping hand to victims: providing a sounding board, helping them find community resources, or ushering them through the initial criminal justice procedures. They’re not counselors or social workers, they’re a shoulder to lean on in some of the toughest situations a person may ever face. Some of the volunteers experienced crime in their own lives, others simply saw a community need and stepped forward, but all of them have compassion. When the unit started in 1994, it mainly responded to homicides and attempted murders, Penland said. As training has increased, the unit now responds to some family violence cases, aggravated robberies, sexual assaults and suicides to assist the victims or their families. In 2007, the unit responded to 531 calls and logged nearly 10,000 volunteer hours.
VIPS Program Page | Waco Police Department | Waco Tribune-Herald
Gilroy, California, Police Department
Cash-strapped police department tags graffiti with help of volunteers
August 22, 2008
Graffiti just keeps proliferating, but community volunteers and city officials are developing an arsenal to fight back. Marvin Thomas, 77, is a part of the army. "I'm supposed to be retired," he said in a typically graffiti-laden alley between Rosanna and Hanna streets. But since 1980, Thomas has been patrolling the alleys between Monterey Road and Princevalle Street fighting graffiti. He even carries around a graffiti kit he got from the city on his bicycle to erase the vandalism that he attributes to young people. Angela Locke-Paddon, Gilroy Police Department Community Services Officer, leads the city's graffiti abatement program. "I pretty much live and breathe graffiti," she said after scrubbing and re-painting a resilient tagging on a utility box. There are 34 active tagging crews in Gilroy, Locke-Paddon said, and some of them use Internet-purchased, super-permanent markers that resist cleaning solutions. That means more time working with pungent solutions and dodging clouds of aerosol cover-up paint.
VIPS Program Page | Gilroy Police Department | Gilroy Dispatch
St. George, Utah, Police Department
VIPS volunteers do many tasks to keep St. George safe
August 11, 2008
The St. George Police Department maintains a Volunteers in Public Safety unit in which citizen volunteers may supplement the mission of the police department. The department subscribes to the concept of community policing and the VIPS unit is a part of that policy. The SGPD VIPS serve to supplement and enhance the police department's effectiveness by filling assignments that otherwise would require sworn personnel to perform, leaving them available for more demanding tasks. SGPD VIPS are found working in the front office of the department assisting records technicians with fingerprinting, filing, data entry and other such assignments in various divisions within the office. They may perform vehicle identification number inspections, sign off "fix-it" tickets or assist personnel from Victim Services. SGPD VIPS work in the field as well. Moving about the city in marked white vehicles with the VIPS logo on the doors and flashing yellow light bars on the roof, and equipped with two-way radio, traffic cones, first aid kits, CPR equipment and crime scene tape barriers, they patrol parking lots for handicap zone violations and may issue civil violation citations. On the public streets, VIPS will issue warnings concerning parking ordinance violations, record and report abandoned vehicles, and any observations that may require the services of an officer.
VIPS Program Page | St. George Police Department | The Spectrum & Daily News