July 10, 2020

Orange County (CA) Sheriff's Department Reserve Bureau

The OCSD salutes the 150 men and women who volunteer their time to serve as Reserves for the Orange County Sheriff's Department. OCSD has four different levels of Reserve service, each with different levels of authority and responsibility. Reserve members are called upon to act as second officers in a patrol car, perform crowd/riot control, maintain crime scene security, perform foot patrol and/or traffic control, or provide other functions to the agency.

July 10, 2020

Reserve force (Cayman Islands) helped solve police manpower shortages

As the coronavirus crisis took over the Cayman Islands in early March, police found themselves facing a manpower shortage.  With strict new rules to enforce and the possibility of losing front-line officers to illness or quarantine, the call went out for reinforcements and personnel from a range of uniformed services stepped up.

July 08, 2020

Reserve Deputies featured in"Behind the Star" PodCast for the Orange County (FL) Sheriff's Office

The Orange County Sheriff's Office Reserve Unit is made up of more than 70 volunteer deputies. A Reserve Deputy has the same “police power” as a full-time Orange County Deputy Sheriff.  "Behind the Star" host Jon Busdeker talks about the Reserve Unit and why it's beneficial to the agency.

May 29, 2020

‘I was told to stop Julian Assange if he tried to flee’: on the beat with the UK’s volunteer police

Part-time special constables haven’t been in such demand for decades. What makes a lawyer, priest or fast-food worker sign up to fight crime for free? As coronavirus has swept across Britain, special constables have played a central role in enforcing the nationwide lockdown and social distancing rules, as well as responding to emergencies.

January 10, 2019

UK Citizens in Policing eMagazines

Check out the newest and back editions of "Special Impact" featuring great stories about volunteer policing.  Special Impact is focused on the UK, but stories about the USA and from around the world are often featured.  Check out "Volunteering Matters" to learn more about the great things that volunteers are doing for their communities in the UK.

May 19, 2020

Reserve Deputies featured in Orange County (FL) Sheriff's Office Video

The Reserve Unit at the Orange County Sheriff's Office is made up of sworn volunteer deputies. Reserve deputies donate their time and expertise to their communities and the sheriff's office, and can work independently or with a partner, depending on their designation, experience, and training.

March 24, 2020

Police Day: A stirring salute to our heroes in blue (Malaysia)

Associate Professor Dr Cheah Phaik Kin is a volunteer police constable in the Police Volunteer Reserve of the Royal Malaysia Police (Sukarelawan Simpanan Polis Diraja Malaysia). In her day job, she is a full-time academician in Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar Campus. She writes about the eye-opening experience of being a police volunteer reserve (PVR).

January 12, 2020

Could finding volunteer cops make the streets safer?

According to a recent Department of Justice study the number of cops per capita in Albuquerque has declined 27 percent in 20 years.  Could volunteer police officers make a difference?  "As far as putting our life on the line without compensation, the gratitude we get to help the community, that is something,” he said. “You have to love what we do."

December 24, 2019

Reserve Officers Help DC With Community Policing

D.C.’s police department says it’s committed to community policing, but it lacks the resources to do it day-in and day-out. This news story reports about a large group of volunteers who continue to step in and provide a valuable resource to the city.

September 23, 2019

Americans Trust Police More Than Congress, Study Finds

Americans trust police officers, military leaders and local public officials more than members of Congress, tech leaders and journalists, according to a study published by the Pew Research Center on Thursday.

September 23, 2019

'If it's in your heart, you got to do it': LA deputy reserves risk life and limb in free time

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has 570 reserve deputies who do search and rescue, patrol the streets and perform a long list of other duties such as working in the Homicide Bureau. The LAPD has around 400 reserve officers. When someone dials 911 for help, the person who responds may be a volunteer.

January 01, 2020

Reserve Police Officers — A Timely Resource For Combating Crime

While the figure of 850,000 law enforcement officers may seem large to the average citizen, if you ask any officer “on the street,” regardless of whether he or she serves in an urban or rural area, they are almost certain to tell you that needs remain unmet, in both manpower and equipment. Unfortunately, the number of sworn law enforcement officers is decreasing, even as rates of violent crime are rising.  One tried and proven step that law enforcement agencies can take to address the shortages of sworn, career law enforcement officers, is to implement — and continue — reserve officer programs.

May 27, 2019

Commentary: Consider auxiliary police in Saratoga County schools

In the interest of safer schools, several Saratoga County school districts have posted sheriff's deputies in their schools. It costs about $90,000 to fund a single school resource deputy sheriff officer — but the costs do not have to be so excessive. For the cost of just one school resource officer, New York could create a corps of 200 auxiliary police officers with specialized training to work in schools.

May 08, 2019

Police Chief Magazine: The Modernization of Volunteer Police around the World

While some policing agencies choose to limit volunteers to the peripheral of policing, many agencies throughout the world have embraced citizen volunteer police (and part-time police) as an effective model to meet sudden planned or unplanned needs for an increase in personnel and as a way to create a bond with the communities they serve.  Read the entire article by clicking the button, below.

March 05, 2019

Milestone for women in police force: Volunteer Special Constabulary

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) celebrated its 70th anniversary of hiring women officers into its ranks this March.  The Straits Times speaks to two of them, including Sergeant Siti Zuraily Zainal from the Voluntary Special Constabulary (VSC). Five years ago, women volunteer officers made up about 20 per cent of the VSC. Today, about 30 per cent of the 1,000-strong VSC are women.

September 24, 2019

My 8-hour ridealong with a volunteer police officer in Orlando

Dr. Laura Knight spent some time in Orlando to present at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Annual Conference and, during the trip, she was invited to join a volunteer police officer for a ridealong during his evening shift in the tourism area of Orange County.

February 18, 2019

2018 IACP/BodyWorn by Utility Leadership in Volunteer Police Service Programs Award Winners

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) Reserve Deputy Program, developed in 1964, has demonstrated exemplary leadership in law enforcement, volunteering a collective 26,303 hours in 2017 and was awarded the 2018 Leadership in Volunteer Programs in the Reserve Police category. Also recognized is the The Denver Police Department Volunteers in Police Service Program in the Volunteers in Policing category. Watch the IACP video with the button, below. Or, learn more about these agencies by clicking here.

October 26, 2018

NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt

Meet trauma surgeon Dr. Kenji Inaba, director of surgical ICU at USC Medical Center.  Dr. Inaba talks about how he swaps scrubs for a training uniform and a scalpel for a Glock as a reserve with the LAPD. Use the "click here for video" button below for the Lester Holt interview, or read his story in the USC News by clicking here.

A stethoscope and a badge

As a medical student and a reserve police officer, Faroukh Mehkri has found two ways to serve others. “Law enforcement and medicine are two things I’m passionate about,” Mehkri said. “It’s the perfect combination of what I want to do with my life.”

September 17, 2019

Police badge is latest achievement for aspiring neuroscientist

USC student and radiation oncology specialist Faisal Rashid recently became the LAPD’s first Bangladeshi sworn officer through its reserve program. The 28-year-old recently completed the Los Angeles Police Department’s rigorous reserve officer program. That’s on top of working a full-time job in radiation oncology. Oh, and he’s also studying for his master’s degree in neuroimaging and informatics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

March 23, 2018

Seminole County (FL) features airline pilot Reserve Deputy in Facebook Video

SCSO reserve deputies come from all walks of life and have some pretty interesting careers all their own. One of them is Freddy Pertuz, whose full-time job takes him all over the world. Freddy answered a personal call to serve after 9-11, and he’s still serving Seminole County today.

July 31, 2018

Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Auxiliary Police Video

The recently-revived Sault Police Auxiliary Unit is a fascinating option to explore policing for members of the community.  This recruiting video shows the work these volunteers do.

July 19, 2018

Malaysian Professor Studies Volunteer Policing

A short video looking at research on the motivations of volunteers in the Malaysian Police Volunteer Reserve (PVR), and the role of the PVR in the police force of Malaysia.

February 21, 2018

Orange County (FL) features Reserve Deputies in Facebook Video

One of our most valuable group of volunteers at the OCSO is our Reserve Unit. Reserve deputies are fully sworn law enforcement officers who donate their time and expertise to the Sheriff's Office. Reserve Deputies can work independently or with a partner, depending on their designation, experience, and training.

April 13, 2018

UK/USA Transatlantic Specials/Reserves Exchange

The head of an English Special Constabulary and his US counterpart explain what they took from visiting each others' force areas.

June 06, 2019

Celebrities who have served as volunteer or full-time police

Some of these stars credit their characters with inspiring them to don the badge. Others left dangerous police work behind to pursue a career in show business. But what all of these celebrities have in common is a respect for law enforcement and a desire to help people..

September 24, 2018

Reserve Policing in the United States: Citizens Volunteering for Public Service

With diminishing resources, shrinking budgets, and the demand for qualified personnel continuing to rise, many police agencies rely on volunteers to help offset their costs. But, beyond the need to do more with less, volunteering in police work can create a positive partnership between members of the community and their local government.

September 19, 2016

Top accolade for Special Constabulary Chief Officer

Cheshire (UK) Special Constabulary Chief Officer Celvyn Jones has been honored with a Lord Ferrers Award. The Lord Ferrers Awards are the most prestigious national awards for citizens in policing. They recognize the outstanding contribution of special constables, police support volunteers and volunteer police cadets. They also acknowledge the support employers and their employees offer to their local force.