The volunteer impact on public safety
By Terrance Thornton
Independent Newspapers
Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a two-part series examining the impact volunteers are having in the public safety sector of the East Valley during these tough economic times. Next week’s installment focuses on East Valley fire departments and districts.
Faced with dwindling budgets and a tough economy, East Valley law enforcement agencies are tapping a valued resource to help with the day-to-day tasks of keeping the communities they serve a safe place to live, work and play.
Although the utilization of volunteers within public safety entities is nothing new, law enforcement officials contend because of financial constraints volunteers are becoming more and more a necessity to get the job done.
The Mesa Police Department enlists the services of 150 volunteers whose efforts range from clerical work, patrol support, maintenance of equipment and citizen contacts, according to Linda Bailey, Mesa police volunteer coordinator.
"We have always been so amazed by what our volunteers do for our department," she said in a phone interview. "Just what they bring to the table and by coming forward in the community it really says a lot."
But in these tough economic times where layoffs and attrition have become buzz words, volunteers have become a catalyst for positive morale within the Mesa Police Department especially when positions originally budgeted for are now on a volunteer basis, Ms. Bailey says.
"We, in times like this, we can’t fill those positions," Ms. Bailey explained of clerical and patrol positions. "But you want to continue to produce a quality law enforcement environment. That is when our volunteers really come into play."
According to Mesa Independent archives, the city of Mesa is seeking a portion of a federal grant program coined the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to hire 25 officers amounting to about $3.9 million over the next four years.
The city of Mesa has about 1.8 sworn officers per 1,000 residents, which department officials say is about 0.6 per 1,000 less than what the average is for the western part of the United States.
The Mesa Police Department — because of budget cuts — must eliminate 73 sworn positions by June 30, 2010, reducing its workforce to 781 officers, Mesa Independent archives state.
Ms. Bailey says because of the budget issue facing all East Valley law enforcement agencies, volunteers are becoming a more-valued commodity.
"We can continue to produce quality law enforcement," she said of what public safety volunteers can do for a police department. "There are so many things that come in with them. It is amazing that we can get the backgrounds of these volunteers without paying for it."
Ms. Bailey says it is typical to find retired public safety officers ready to lend a hand and use their years of experience to help the Mesa Police Department.
"In a circumstance like this they are really needed," she said of the down-budget times. "I would say it is a heightened need, but this whole thing attempting to stay at the level of performance with fewer employees is a challenge."
Ms. Bailey says the Mesa Police Department is forced to do more with fewer paid personnel.
"They are stepping in to fill those gaps," she said of volunteers efforts. "It is the idea that they are well able to do this for us."
Because of the "heightened need" for volunteers, the Mesa Police Department recently created two tiers for volunteer positions, Ms. Bailey said.
The first tier includes duties such as patrol support, mobile traffic volunteers and disabled parking enforcement while the second tier includes victim contacts and processing of sensitive police documents in addition to tier one duties.
"For one thing the success rate was one in six people were successfully making it through," she explained of creating two tiers for people to apply for. "We wanted to make it easier for folks to get in."
Twenty-year-old Derric Ellis of Mesa has been volunteering with the Mesa Police Department since he was 16.
"I am hoping to become a Mesa Police officer. It is one of my goals in life," he said of why he volunteers. "I love to help people and I want to make a difference in the community."
From July 2008 to January 2009, Mr. Ellis was a police service assistant — which was a paid position — until he received a Reduction In Workforce letter informing him he would no longer be employed by the Mesa Police Department.
Mr. Ellis held the position at the department’s Superstition Springs Substation, 2430 S. Ellsworth Road, but once he found out he would no longer be paid for his work, he opted to volunteer his time.
"I started the next day," he recalled.
Although Mr. Ellis says he has not felt or noticed any big push for more volunteers because of budget concerns, he said they are always needed.
"I haven’t seen an increase to volunteer need, but they can always be used," he noted.
To contact the Mesa Police Department for volunteer opportunities call 480-644-2073.
Apache Junction
The Apache Junction Police Department is using volunteers for more and more duties because of a tight budget and because of the caliber of volunteers within the department, Capt. Thomas Kelly says.
Using volunteers for patrol support, victim services, animal control, clerical duties and safety checks on sexual predators are some of the main duties carried by volunteers, Capt. Kelly said.
"They are very important in good economic times and even more important in tough economic times," he said in a phone interview.
Capt. Kelly says because of the workload presented by a limited budget — which in turn translates to a limited staff — the AJPD is utilizing certain volunteers to be the first contact for burglary victims.
"Some of the programs they get involved in they do some of the normal investigations," Capt. Kelly said. "Some of the programs that maybe we don’t need to have a sworn officer on."
When it comes to sexual predators, Capt. Kelly says volunteers are used for non-controversial first contacts of neighbors living in the vicinity of a registered sex offender. Volunteers are also used to confirm sex offender addresses, Capt. Kelly explained.
"We use them even now and in good times, but some of the things they are doing now we would normally do with sworn personnel," he explained of how a volunteers role is changing. "We have to direct them (sworn officers) to do things with a higher priority."
Apache Junction Chief of Police Jerald Monahan says the need for volunteers is always present within the AJPD, but the police department is not going to rely on volunteer efforts to protect the community.
"With the budget one of the things we don’t want to do is supplant budgeted positions with volunteers," he said of how he is viewing the pending budget constraints for next fiscal year. The reality is that my budget is not going to grow this year."
Chief Monahan says he agrees with Capt. Kelly’s assertion that for certain crimes volunteers can be used for initial contact between police department and citizen.
"They offer all sorts of support assistance," Chief Monahan said in a phone interview. "That has been a big plus for us."
Chief Monahan says the community of Apache Junction is very receptive to the needs of the police department.
Apache Junction Police Department Auxiliary Sgt. Will Haynes agrees more volunteers are needed within the department. The auxiliary unit of the AJPD is a fully uniformed unit providing support services for on-duty officers, Sgt. Haynes said.
"By not being able to hire more officers, we help out with traffic accidents and security," he said of the need for volunteers to assist patrol officers. "We can really use all the help we can get."
Apache Junction Police Department Victim Services volunteer Charlie agrees.
"Absolutely, because we should be running around 30, but we have only nine," he said of current volunteer staffing levels in the victim services division.
Judy Robles, AJPD victim services coordinator, says the victim services unit needs help and if it weren’t for volunteers in her department the job just wouldn’t get done.
"If I didn’t have them we couldn’t do it," she said at the police department. "I am the only paid staff; without them the whole program would not exist."
Charlie — whose last name was withheld because of safety concerns expressed by AJPD personnel — says last year he put in 1,800 hours for the victim services division and doesn’t regret one moment.
"I like to help people and be involved with the community," he said of his eight years of being a volunteer for the AJPD. To contact the Apache Junction Police Department for volunteer opportunities call 480-982-8260.
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