As discussed in a previous blog post, volunteering for a law enforcement agency is a great way to build up skills for a law enforcement career. Over the next few months, we will take a look at a number of law enforcement volunteer opportunities.
During your law enforcement career, you will likely spend considerable time patrolling the streets of your jurisdiction, and in many Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) programs, citizen patrol is a primary volunteer responsibility. Volunteer patrols are performed in a variety of vehicles and locations – neighborhood car patrols, park bike patrols, ATV beach patrols, downtown foot patrols, and more.
Patrols vary in their day-to-day functions, but often include driving through neighborhoods, shopping centers, vacant properties, or local crime hotspots to keep an eye out for suspicious activity, serve as a crime deterrent, and build relationships with community members. You may also take on additional duties, such as traffic direction at accident scenes, vacation home checks, and code enforcement. Volunteers do not have enforcement duties, but remain in close contact with dispatch via radio or cell phones to report crimes in progress or anything that needs an officer’s attention.
Patrol volunteers receive extensive training in subjects like radio codes and usage, traffic direction procedures, incident report writing, radar speed check device usage, and other topics that will give a head start when you get to the police academy.
As a citizen patrol volunteer, you will gain a better understanding of police patrol duties and experience your community in a whole new way.
Look the following examples of citizen volunteer patrol programs for more details:
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina, Police Department – Citizens on Patrol Program
- Dayton, Ohio, Police Department – Neighborhood Assistance Officer Program
- Lake County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office – Citizens on Patrol Program
- Douglas County, Colorado, Sheriff’s Office – Community Safety Volunteer Program
Search for volunteer programs in your local area with the VIPS Program Directory.
