VIPS - Volunteers in Policing
Introduction
The Capitola Police Department’s Volunteers in Policing (V.I.P.) Program is comprised of citizens from throughout the county. These trained volunteers are utilized to enhance crime prevention and community services. The V.I.P. personnel perform a multitude of functions for this agency, such as:
- Vacation House Checks
- Vehicle Maintenance
- Court Liaison
- Clerical Work
- Traffic Control
- Welfare checks on Senior Citizens
- Staff our Community Outreach Center
- Community Policing…. Have the power to identify and address specific concerns and problems within your community.
- And much, much more!!
Purpose
In both the public and private sector, administrators are constantly seeking ways to enhance the effectiveness of their organizations. In the law enforcement profession, one way to do this is to recruit more officers. This, however, is not always feasible because of fiscal limitations. In Capitola, the Police Department has developed a way to maximize its service without incurring a substantial financial burden.
The concept is simple: recruit volunteers from the community, train them in various police-related duties, and then allow them to function in direct support of Police Department staff. Capitola has proven to be an ideal environment for such a program since its citizens pride themselves in community involvement.
Volunteers function as an auxiliary unit of the Police Department, with no powers of arrest beyond those of any private citizen. They serve as extra eyes, ears and helping hands. They carry no weapons, but they do have cellular phone/radios, which allows for direct communication with our dispatchers and police officers. This enables them to report any suspicious activity quickly so that an officer can investigate what might have otherwise gone unnoticed or unreported.
V.I.P. Volunteers will assume many tasks, which have previously been performed by paid police personnel. This program significantly enhances the Department’s ability to focus sworn personnel on tasks, which volunteers cannot do. The volunteers will also undertake projects, which could not have otherwise been considered due to lack of manpower or resources.
