Port Saint Lucie Police Department
Contact Information
Thomas W. Andrew
Phone: (772) 344-4052
Fax: (772) 871-7685
E-mail: thomas.andrew@pslpd.us
121 S.W. Port St. Lucie Blvd.
Port St. Lucie, FL 34984
United States
North America
Program Description
PORT ST. LUCIE POLICE DEPARTMENT
The City of Port St. Lucie has experienced phenomenal growth in the last two decades. In 1980 the population was approximately 15,000 and in 2009 our population is approximately 167,000. The rapid growth of the city is extremely challenging to our Police Department.
One way that our Police Department is able to keep up with the demands of a fast growing city is by utilizing and working with their volunteer organization.
Our volunteer work force is approximately three hundred sixty two and still growing. These are people dedicated to the success of our Police Department and the safety of our community.
Below are some of the duties that our volunteers perform:
C.O.P.
We are over two hundred uniformed volunteers that patrol their respective neighborhoods and are on the lookout for strangers and also properties that have a different appearance from normal. By living there, they know how things should look.
CHAPLAINS
We have eight volunteer chaplains that provide spiritual guidance and support for our entire staff as well as our community. They are on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. A chaplain is called out by police officers to accompany them as they make death notifications to family members, when necessary. The chaplain stays with the family as long as it is necessary, allowing the officer to continue with his/her duties.
CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY
One of our volunteers is a certified child passenger safety technician. In this capacity, our volunteer installs and instructs the public on how to properly install car seats in vehicles. This task can be challenging at times. This service is of the greatest importance in keeping our youngest citizens as safe as possible in the event of a crash.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS
We now have four volunteers that work in our Criminal Investigations Division that assist the detectives with case follow-ups, these individuals actually go out in the community and interview victims and their neighbors.
These uniformed volunteers are known as our CIA (Criminal Investigative Aides.)
We also have other volunteers who assist our detectives with phone calls, filing and other office duties.
COURIERS
In previous years, sworn officers used to pick up and deliver documents and items to our Court House, State’s Attorney Office, Jail, Sheriff’s Office, etc.
Many times, unknown to each other, there might be more than one officer at these locations at a time.
A Courier program was devised with a set schedule, manned by volunteers, to alleviate this problem and to save more time for the Department.
CRIME WATCH
When a citizen goes on vacation or has to vacate their house for a time, they request a “Close House Watch” on their property. The request forms are obtained at the Police Department or from our web page www.pslpd.us.
Crime Watch volunteers are performing an excellent service as they inspect houses making sure the driveways are clear from newspapers and advertisements (These are excellent indicators that no one is home) and doors are closed. These volunteers are also uniformed and in marked volunteer cars, which gives the police department more visibility.
We also have volunteers assigned to:
Domestic Violence
Lobby Security
Marine Patrol
Parking Enforcement
Purchasing Department
Records Section
Speed Trailer
What does an individual receive for volunteering?
Just to name a few things:
Get a real sense of accomplishment
Get a chance to help the community
Realize their talents are needed once again
Get them back in a good routine again
Give something back to the community
Realize their brain is still good
Make new friends
Agency Information
Date established: 1995
Number of volunteers: 362
Hours volunteers contributed last year: 24,000
Last updated: 6/4/2009
Categories
Chaplain Corps
Citizen Patrol
Other
Criminal Investigative Aide (C.I.A.)
Stories
PAL's 'Volunteer of the Year' (1/27/2010)
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