NCJ Number
120628
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 16 Issue: 9 Dated: (October 1989) Pages: 54-56,58
Date Published
1989
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Motivated by fear of crime and anger at being victimized, people in the isolated Harbor Peninsula area of Pierce County, Washington organized a new citizen involvement program, Citizens Against Crime (CAC) in 1987.
Abstract
Cognizant of the manpower versus budgeting problems at the local police department, CAC developed a volunteer program on the lines of volunteer firemen, search and rescue teams, or crisis hotline operators. The sheriff's department and CAC agreed that volunteers would monitor phones in the detachment office and file paperwork but not engage actively in law enforcement. The volunteers, who had to pass a background check, were instructed on dealing with the variety of calls the department received, department policies and procedures, and interagency relations. Within a year, CAC had recruited additional volunteers, streamlined its operations, and been incorporated by the State as a non-profit organization, which allowed its expansion throughout Washington. The group raised funds to buy the department a personal computer system. CAC has expanded its program; several volunteers are trained to conduct home security checks and seminars, and a Teens Against Drugs program has been established. The volunteer program has saved the county over $30,000 in wages and contributed to 55 felony arrests.