Citizens like you support law enforcement and public safety efforts in a variety of important ways. Here are some examples of the types of assignments citizens can take on to assist their local law enforcement agency:
Administrative Duties
- Enter data
- Type reports, file, answer phones, and perform other office tasks
- Help front counter personnel by answering citizen inquiries and performing routine administrative tasks
- Help telephone reporting units take reports of minor and "no suspect" crimes
Citizen Patrols
- Read parking meters
- Provide bike patrols in community parks
- Patrol shopping centers during the holiday season to assist stranded motorists or lost children
- Write citations for violations of handicapped parking restrictions
- Participate in marine patrols
- Home vacation checks
Community Liaison Activities
- Citizens’ advisory boards
- Speakers bureau on disaster preparedness or identity theft
- Citizens’ police academies
- Staff community policing substations
- Staff a department booth and distribute information on police services at community events
Neighborhood Watch
- Join or start a Neighborhood Watch program
Research
- Conduct research using department and regional computer programs
- Compile crime data for specific area problems
- Crime mapping and analysis
- University researchers, statisticians, and criminologists can help law enforcement agencies conduct research
Assist with
- Search and rescue activities
- Role-playing and training scenarios for officers
- Cold case squads
- Victim assistance
- Disaster response
- Graffiti abatement programs
- Courts
- Special events
- Crime prevention programs
- Fingerprinting
Youth-Related Activities
- Assist in programs such as police athletic leagues
- Serve as a mentor
- Help with youth citizen academies
- Assist in school-based programs such as DARE
- Assist with after-school programs
- Explorer Posts
- Completing internships
- Provide short-term care of juveniles in protective custody
Volunteers with special skills can serve in numerous ways:
- Counselors can provide support to victims of crime and assist with crisis intervention.
- Mechanics can help maintain police vehicles.
- Faith leaders can become involved in chaplain programs.
- Public health officials can develop public safety plans and train for biohazard management.
- Architects, landscapers, and building engineers can suggest ways community centers can improve or modify buildings and landscape designs to prevent or reduce crime.
- Security specialists can conduct free security reviews for local schools, after-school programs, or places of worship.
- Public relations professionals can design public safety campaigns and supporting materials.
- Bilingual volunteers can assist with translation.
- Computer programmers can help develop or improve Web sites and record management systems.
- Persons with state approved training can become reserve or auxiliary officers.
