From The Grapevine Courier ~ Friday, March 10, 2006

Grapevine Police Propose Using More Volunteers

GPD hope to train more residents, recruit sworn volunteers

By Scott Price STAFF WRITER

Grapevine Police Chief Eddie Salame proposed this week to the Grapevine City Council that the city begin a program to develop and recruit volunteer police officers.

The council will consider the proposal, which requires one additional paid sergeant position, at its March 21 meeting.

"We are very excited about the volunteer programs," said Sgt. Bob Murphy Grapevine Police Department community relations director.

Murphy said the expansion of the volunteer program is all part of Chief Salame's program of community policing.

"We want to begin a more formal volunteer program," he said.

The Grapevine Citizen Police Academy was created in 1995 to teach residents about the GPD, and now has 169 graduates, some of whom man the city's SkyWatch lifts. The lifts have been instrumental in reducing crime in shopping center parking lots.

Murphy said an information booth will be installed at the Grapevine Police Station on Dallas Road, and volunteers will occupy the booth and assist those who come into the building.

GPD will begin participating with the Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS), a national organization, to provide additional training to volunteers that will enable them to wear uniforms, Murphy said. The volunteers will not be sworn officers, and they will not carry guns, he added.

In addition to SkyWatch, these volunteers will be able to deploy the city's radar trailer, or wait with a vehicle until a tow truck arrives.

"They could free up officers to do other things,'" Murphy said.

Salame has also asked the council to approve the addition of 25 volunteer sworn officers.

Murphy said it would probably be a few years before GPD can have 25 volunteer sworn officers.

Most of these officers, Murphy added, will be former police officers or even off duty officers who want to volunteer their time. "There are residents right here who are reserve officers in other towns," he said. These volunteers will wear uniforms, carry guns and patrol much like police officers currently working for GPD.

The volunteer sworn officers would mostly, patrol problem areas. He said they would not be sent to emergency calls, unless they were the closest officer and a person's life was in danger.

Murphy said that Salame wants to create a sergeant position to be the volunteer's coordinator for all of the Grapevine Police Department's volunteers.

Volunteers are a great way to get the community involved in protecting the city, Murphy added, and "much-less expensive than hiring additional police officers."