NCJ Number
174179
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 46 Issue: 9 Dated: September 1998 Pages: 102-105
Date Published
1998
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the many ways volunteers can help local law enforcement agencies.
Abstract
Many law enforcement agencies are coping with shrinking budgets and the high cost of technology by using volunteer help tailored to the needs of individual substations. Volunteers do not replace or serve as alternates to paid employees, but enhance existing resources. Today in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), 4,300 volunteers put in approximately 350,000 hours a year; the San Diego Police Department uses the services of 1,000 volunteers. The LASD has found that the happiest and most successful volunteers come from one of four groups: retirees over 55 who want to stay active; homemakers whose household or child care duties have diminished; working people with spare time in the evenings or on weekends; and young adults who seek job experience and are looking to make career decisions. The article describes types of jobs where volunteers have been especially useful, and explains how to establish a successful volunteer program.