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By Carrie Chouinard,Coordinator, Volunteers inPolicing Program, Eugene,

Oregon, Police Department

Like most law enforcement agencies,the police dep artment in Eugene,Oregon, faces ongoing budget woesand staffing shortages. Police man-

agers are invariably searching for creativetechniques to stretch dw indling resourcesand at the same time advance the depart -ment's community policing efforts. Oneeffective and successful strategy the de-partment h as implemented is its volun-teer program.

Volunteers have provided support topaid staff at the department for manyyears, but the p rogram lacked continuity.Management of the department's volun-teers was handed from one manager toanother, all of whom were already jug-gling full plates. The program was notcentralized, program statistics were notmaintained , and citizens wh o called to in-quire about volunteer opportunities wereoften met with confusion as they weretransferred from one person to another.

The program's potential was not fullyrealized until the Eugene City Coun cil ap-

proved funding for a full-time coordinatorin July 1999. The Eugene Police Depart-ment had requested this funding to fur-ther commu nity-involved policing efforts.

When the vo lun tee r p rogram w aslaunched in 2000, the department hadeight active volunteers. Five volunteerswere college students, and the other threewere retirees. Volunteer opportunitieswere focused on clerical sup port. Six of theeight volunteers assisted at the depart-ment's n eighborhood p olice substations.

Challenges to managing a successfulpolice volunteer program include ensuring

One Department's

Volunteer ExperienceL E A R N I N G F R O M T H E E U G E N E P O L I C E D E PA R T M E N T

In response to new d emands on p o-lice officers and in keeping with thephilosophy of community policing,agencies are turn ing to civilian volun-teers to enable officers to rem ain on th efront lines and working to m ake com-munities safer. The Volunteers in Po-lice Service (VIPS) program providessupp ort and resources for law enforce-ment agencies interested in develop-ing or enhancing a volunteer pr ogramand for citizens who wish to volunteertheir time and skills.

National Efforts: VIPS is one com-ponent of the USA Freedom Corp s, aneffort to foster a cultu re of service, citi-zenship, and responsibility by callingon every American to dedicate at leasttwo years over the course of their life tothe service of others. This initiative pro-motes volunteerism with the messagethat "everyone can do someth ing."

Programs sharing the common goalof helping communities prevent, pre-pare for, and respond to crime, naturaldisasters, and other emergencies arehoused within the newly created Citi-zen Corps un der the USA FreedomCorps. Four charter programs fal l

und er the Cit izen Corps um brel la:VIPS, Neighborhood Watch, Commu-nity Emergency Response Teams, andthe Med ical Reserve Corp s. The Inter-nat ional Association o f Chiefs of Police(IACP) is managing and implemen tingthe VIPS program in partnership withand on behalf of the White House Of-fice of the USA Freedom Corp s and theU.S. Departm ent of Justice.

Through this program, IACP seeksto do th e following:

I d e n t if y p r o m i s in g p r a ct i ce sbeing used in existing VIPS program sand share this information with lawenforcement a gencies

Increase the use of volunteers inexisting pr ograms

Help citizens learn about and getinvolved in VIPS program s in th eircommunities

Help agencies without a volun-teer program get one started

The program 's ultimate goal is to en-hance the capacity of state and local lawenforcement to utilize volunteers. Theplatform for this initiative is www.po-licevolunteers.org, which serves as agateway to information for law enforce-ment agencies and citizens interested inlaw enforcement volunteer programs.VIPS defines a volunteer as a commu ni-ty member who provides supplementalor support services to a law enforce-ment agency without receiving imme-diate m onetary benefit.

What Citizen Volunteers Can Do:Law enforcement volunteer programsare not designed to replace sworn orcivilian personnel. Rather, volunteersare used to supplement and enhance ex-

isting or envisioned functions to allowlaw enforcement professionals to d otheir job in the most effective manner.Volunteers have proven to be a valuableresource, performing such diverse andsupp ortive functions as the following:

Clerical and data support Special event planning Search and rescue assistance Grant writing Transporting mail between sub-

stations

Volunt eers in Police Service (VIPS): Nat ional Efforts Shaped by Local Practice

(cont inued on next page)

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that there are a variety of interesting andengaging volunteer opportunities, thatthose opportun ities are aligned with thedepartm ent's mission, and that the assign-ments augment and complement the work in which paid emp loyees are engaged.

Timely dissemination of informationconcerning volunteer activities, especiallyany new assignments, minimizes m isun-derstandings that could lead to concernsamong bargaining unit employees. TheEugene Police Department has learnedthat it is essential to have a fu ll-time p ro-gram coordinator on board to manage thevolunteers, work with staff to develop ap-propriate volunteer assignments, dissem-inate program information, and overseeday-to-day issues.

Involv ing Seniors and RetireesRecruiting volunteers has never been

an issue for the Eugene Police Departm ent.In a typ ical month, betw een 10 and 20 citi-zens contact the program coord inator to in -qu i re abou t vo lun teer oppor tun i t i e s.When the program was first launched,most of the volunteers w ho fol lowedthrough with the application, interview,and background check were college stu-dents and young adults.

Because ret i rees have a weal th of knowledge and experience to share andoften have some time to spare, the dep art -ment hoped to tap into the local retire-ment community to further expand theprogram. Retirees w ould often inquireabout volunteer opportunities, but oncethey learned that the majority of the op-portu nities were focused on clerical work,they wou ld offer a polite "Thank you, bu tno thank you." Many retirees wantednothing to d o with du ties involving filing,copying, and data entry. They wanted as-signments that were out in the communi-ty and focused on interacting w ith people.

Seniors on PatrolIn 2000 Police Chief James R. Hill, now

retired, suggested that the volunteer pro-gram implement a Seniors on Patrol pro-gram. Hill's vision was to develop a par t -nership between local retirees and theEugene Police Departm ent in an effort toenhance the department's communitypolicing program s. After m onths of re-searching and planning, the departmentbegan recruiting volunteers to join theprogram. Once word got out to the com-munity, there was an immediate surge of interest among local retirees.

The Seniors on Patrol pr ogram is opento seniors and retirees 55 and older. Vol-unteers must graduate from a five-day,40-hour training academy and be avail-able to serve a minimum of 16 hours permonth.

The department held its first Seniorson Patrol academy in October 2001. Aclass of eight volunteers graduated fromthe academy and soon joined field train-ers on patrol.

The Seniors on Patrol team functions asan auxiliary unit of the department. Work-ing in pairs, team members wear depart-ment-issued uniforms that identify themas police volunteers. They operate special-ly marked department vehicles that areequipped with pol ice radios and cel lphones. These volunteers do not take en-forcement action and have no powers of arrest beyond those of any private citizen.Their p rimary d uty is to add ress neighbor-hood crime and safety issues by observingand reporting suspicious activity and pro-viding a highly visible community polic-ing presence. With the Seniors on Patrolteams tackling nonenforcement issues, po-lice officers are better able to focus on front -line duties that requ ire a sworn officer.

Examp les of specific du ties includ e thefollowing:

Civilian p atrol of local recreationor shopping areas

Assisting at community fairs byproviding fingerprinting and DN A kitsfor children

Staffing commu nity resource centersor substations in malls or tourist areas

As Attorney General John Ashcroftstated, "Volunteers can assist police inperforming routine d uties that are neces-sary to the efficient operation of their de-partment. Though the work may not beglamorous, it is essential." These activi-ties complement other traditional volun-teer and community programs such asreserve officer units, chaplain programs,student internships, citizen academies,Explorer Posts, Neighborhood Watch,and citizen advisory boards.

VIPS Web Site: The IACP is buildingan on line d atabase of existing law en-forcement volunteer programs at www .policevolunteers .org. The d atabasesumm arizes volunteer op portunities

available in over 600 law enforcementvolunteer programs. The database is asearchable resource for agencies that arelooking to network and reach out to pro -grams offering similar or desired volun-teer roles. An online resource guide,providing sample policies, forms, job

descriptions, and training materialsfrom some of these registered pr ogramsis also available on the site.

Increasingly, the Internet is becomingone of the most popular media for vol-unteer recruitment. As such, the data-base also serves as a resource for citizenssearching for volunteer opportunities intheir comm unity.

To be eligible for r egistration withVIPS, a program must involve volunteerswho work d irectly with a state or local lawenforcement agency through an in-housevolunteer program or a program operat-ing in concert with a law enforcementagency, such as a Citizens Police AcademyAlumni Association or a Retired SeniorVolunteer Program (RSVP). Registeredprograms includ e agencies of all sizes andincorporate volunteers numbering from ahandful to several thousand.

VIPS Resou rces: The national VIPSProgram w ill also provide supp ort topolice agencies interested in starting a

volunteer program . Here are just a fewprojects IACP is work ing on now :

Developing a comprehensive re-source guide on law enforcement volun-teer program s that w ill identify commonprinciples for establishing or enhancinga volunteer program and examples of di-

verse volunteer program models fromacross the countr y

Developing a technical assistancecomponent to help local agencies deter-mine their volunteer needs, and to de-sign a program that w ill effectively meetthose needs

Planning a series of regional sym-posia to introduce and share VIPS re-sources and provide a forum for region-al networking

Establishing mentoring relation-ships between agencies with well-es-tablished programs and agencies thatare just getting started

Facilitating regional training pro-grams using the Regional CommunityPolicing Institutes (RCPIs) of the Officeof Community Oriented Policing Serv-ices (COPS)

The VIPS national effort, togetherwith the other Citizen Corps programs,can enhance your local law enforce-ment agency's homeland security ef-

forts and create safer commu nities.

For more information on the national Volunteers inPolice Service Program, please contact the VIPS staff at 800-THE-IACP or info@policevolunteers.org, or visit www.policevolunteers.org.

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Patrolling n eighborhood streets, bikepaths, and pedestrian paths

Transporting marked police decoyvehicles as part of a neighborhood speedreduction p rogram

Using radar guns to observe and logspeeders as part of a traffic safety pro-gram w here edu cational letters are sent tothe registered owners of vehicles ob-served traveling at a rate of more than 10miles per hour over the posted sp eed limit

D o cu m e n t i n g l ic en s e p l a te s o f parked vehicles in which packages andother valuables are in plain view and thenmailing letters to the registered ow ners of these vehicles to alert them of the poten-tial for vehicle break-ins and to offer crimeprevention tips

Conducting house checks for resi-dents of Eugene who requ est the extra pa-trol while they are away from home onvacation

Transporting department vehicles toand from Fleet Services for m aintenance

Participating in a variety of depart -ment-sponsored crime prevention andcommu nity p olicing efforts

Although the majority of the program'sfunding and resources come from the de-par tment, the Eugene-Springfield New CarDealers Association generously donated aFord F-150 pick-up tru ck to the program .

Addit ional Senior- and Ret iree-Focused Volunteer Assignments

Once the Seniors on Patrol team wasoperational, several other senior- and re-tiree-focused volunteer opportunities

were imp lemented.Cer t i f i ed Chi ld Passenger Sa fe ty

Technician: The department's only certi-fied child passenger safety technician is avolunteer who gradu ated from a 40-hourtraining program sponsored by the Na-tional Highway Traffic Safety Adm inistra-tion. Acting as a comm unity resou rce, thisvolunteer attend s local car seat clinics andchecks for correct installation, damage, re-calls, and size and age ap prop riateness of car seats.

Graffiti Tracking: Based on requestsfrom the Special Investigations Unit, vol-unteers p hotograph gr affiti and assistwith dow nloading and electronically stor-ing digital photos.

S p e a k e r s B u r e a u : The vo lun tee rspeakers bureau offers crime preventionpresentations on fraud, consumer scams,and identity theft to service clubs, retire-ment communities, church groups, andother group s. The volunteers developed a13-page crime prevention handout that isdistributed to everyone who attends thepresentations. In 2002, speakers bureauvolunteers gave 38 presentations to an es-timated 955 commu nity members.

Ot her Volunteer OpportunitiesThe Eugene police volunteer p rogram

has steadily expand ed since its inception.As volunteer positions and opportunitiesare developed , new volun teers of all agesenthusiastically join the program. Each of the department's five divisions has ongo-ing volunteer assignments. In total, thereare nearly 30 different volunteer p ositions.

In 2002, 79 volunteers contributed near-ly 10,000 hours of service. The depar tment'svolunteers range in age from 15 to 80, withnearly 60 percent over the age of 50. A nu m-ber of the department's dedicated volun-teers work full-time in paying jobs but still

Volunt eer programs canhelp agencies st retch

resources and

keep officers on pat rol.

manage to volunteer a few hours eachweek. The department h as developed p art-nerships with local high schools and col-leges to give students opp ortun ities to learnwhile earn ing school credit. Citizens inter-ested in pursuing a career in law enforce-ment, wh ether as a civilian or a sworn offi-cer, seek volunteer opportunities to explorecareer options firsthand, meet employees,and get a foot in the door.

Nineteen volunteers are graduates of the department's citizen police academy(CPA). The CPA is a 13-week program d e-signed to educate the public about Eu-gene's police operations. The academ yprovides citizens with an understandingof the officer selection process, trainingstandards, police procedures, investiga-tive techniques, the community policingphilosophy, and much more. Many CPAgraduates have such a positive feelingabout the department after graduatingthat they want to d o what they can to helpsupport the d epartment, and volunteer-ing is a great w ay to assist. Additional ex-

amples of volunteer assignments includethe following activities:Financial Crimes Unit. Volunteers help

detectives track victims of forgery, identitytheft, and credit card fraud, and track sus-pects in bad check (insufficient funds/ ac-count closed) cases by entering informa-tion from police repor ts into a database.

Forensic Evidence Unit. This is the de-partment's most popular volunteer posi-tion. There are usually between 20 and 25people on the waiting list to volun teer. Vol-unteers file adult arrest fingerprint cards,do d ata entry, file developed film and latent

print s, sort and en ter fingerp rint card infor-mation into AIRS (area information recordssystem), and stock lab van supp lies.

Interagency N arcotics Enforcemen tTeam. Volunteers assist with selected day-to-day office and ad ministrative tasks, in -clud ing managem ent of the team's tipline, which involves documenting callsand doing any necessary follow-up byphone or computer.

Kids Safety Town. Kids Safety Town isan accident prevention program for chil-dren entering kindergarten. It is a compre-hensive educational program that intro-d u c e s p r e s c h o o l c h i l d r e n t o s a f e t yawareness. This nationally certified an d ac-credited program emphasizes pedestrianand bicycle safety. The p rogram also coversschool bus safety, poison p revention, basicfire p revention, car passenger safety, andwater safety. Volunteers assist in the plan -ning and adm inistration of Kids SafetyTown, help coordinate the daily group ac-tivities, and p hotograp h program activities.

Neighborhood Watch. Volunteers pre-

pare informational packets and assistwith d ata entry. Volunteers who are expe-rienced with Neighborhood Watch givepresenta tions to new group s, offering tipson how to start and m aintain a su ccessfulNeighborhood Watch grou p.

Office of Professional Stand ards. Vol-un tee rs o rgan ize commend a t ions inchronological order, scan them , and sendthem electronically. Other d uties includerouting completed commendations, mak-ing copies, and d ata entry.

Operations An alysis Unit. Volunteersenter data for nonserialized pawn ed andstolen property a nd file police reports.

Police Substations. The department hasfour neighborhood substations. Volunteershelp staff the stations by greeting the pub-lic, providing phone reception, connectingcitizens with area resources, distributing in -formation on police department services,and providing clerical support.

Property Control Unit. Volunteers inthe Prop erty Control Unit help p oliceproperty specialists dispose of propertythat is no longer of evidentiary value, as-sist with auction transport, move proper-ty and evidence, and assist with process-ing requests for dispositions to police

officers.Public Information Office. Volunteersassist with the publication of the depart-ment's monthly newsletter, "The RapSheet." Other opportunities include dub-bing taped news stories and taking pho-tographs.

Records Section. Volunteers h elp w ithfiling, photocopying, data entry, andpu rging files.

School Resource Team. Volunteers as-sist the departm ent's Crime PreventionSpecialists by mentoring at-risk studen ts,helping students develop problem-solv-

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ing skills, participating in class p resenta-tions, and participating in after schoolhomew ork clubs.

S WAT Te a m a n d C r o w d C o n t r o lTeam. Volunteers assist the SWAT andcrowd control teams during training sce-narios where actors are needed. Volun-teers play roles such as protestors, vic-tims, and innocent bystanders.

Volunteer Program Adm inistration.Volun teers assist the coordina tor of the vol-unteer program by scanning photos, pro-cessing mail-outs, and d oing data entry.

A W in/W in SituationWhen citizens who receive police ser-

vices are helping to d eliver those servicesby volun teering, a closer connection ismade between the police department andthe public. In the three-plus years sincethe Eugene Police Departm ent's volunteerprogram was launched, it has become akey component of the dep artment's com-mun ity policing program . Implementa-tion of the program has resulted in strongpartn erships between the Eugene citizen-ry and the law enforcement comm unity.

For more information on the nationalVolunteers in Police Service Program,please contact th e VIPS staff at 1-800-THE-IACP or info@policevolu nteer s.orgor visit ww w.policevolunteers.org. O

For more information on the Eugene Police Depart -ment's volunteer program, please contact Carrie Chouinard at the Eugene Police Department, 777 Pearl Street, Room

107, Eugene, OR 97401, carrie.f.chouinard@ci.eugene.or.us, or visit www.ci.eugene.or.us/police/volunteers/ volun.htm.