CLEARLAKE – The Clearlake Police Department is pleased to announce the formation of a new volunteer program called Volunteers in Policing (VIP).

Chief Larry Todd said VIP is an innovative program that strives to expand the department's partnership with members of the community in order to enhance the level of service provided to citizens, business owners and visitors.

It will be the mission of the VIP program to promote individual responsibility and commitment to enhancing a strong police-community partnership in the City of Clearlake.

The concept behind the program is simple: recruit volunteers from the community, train them in various non-hazardous police-related duties, and then allow them to function in direct support of the police department. Clearlake has proved to be an ideal environment for such a program since its citizens pride themselves in community involvement.

These volunteers will serve as extra eyes, ears and helping hands. VIPs will assume many tasks which otherwise require police personnel to perform. Todd said this will significantly enhance the department's ability to focus police officers and other paid staff on tasks that will enable the department to increase the level of public safety services provided to the community without the need to hire additional staff.

The VIP personnel will perform a wide variety functions such as: vacation house checks, staffing the front counter, fingerprinting, volunteer patrol, clerical work, Neighborhood Watch programs, child fingerprinting programs, vehicle maintenance, handicap parking enforcement, assisting with code enforcement, staffing at special events, crime victim followup contacts, business emergency contact list updates, and a wide range of other office and crime prevention duties.

Todd said individuals must be 18 years of age or older, and don't have to live in Clearlake. All volunteers must successfully pass the same background investigation required of civilian employees, which includes a fingerprint records check, driver and criminal history review, and go through a 24-hour training academy prior to starting in the program.

The academy will consist of a two-hour ride-along with an officer on patrol, a two-hour session in dispatch, a four-hour CPR training session, and 16 hours of assigned classroom training covering a variety of police related subjects designed to familiarize the volunteer with police procedures, radio codes, traffic safety, driver awareness, crime prevention and other law enforcement procedures.

Volunteers will be asked to commit a minimum of four hours per week to participate in the program and will be assigned to areas that correspond to their interest. For instance, not everyone will want to or are able to participate in patrolling the city, but instead may have interest in crime prevent programs, greeting the public or performing filing and data entry functions. The department will strive to match volunteers to their area of interest and to provide learning opportunities.

The volunteers will wear uniforms that are distinct from those worn by police officers and will only be assigned to non-hazardous duties, said Todd.

Clearlake Police Department also has partnered with the Lake County Resource Center in the "Experience Works" program which assists adults 55 or older gain job skills through community service employment training. This work experience program is designed for those who have not worked in a long time, have never worked outside the home, have physical limitations that affect their ability to work, or have had other problems obtaining the on-the-job training skills necessary to ultimately find employment.

Individuals accepted into this program will receive an hourly wage paid through the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), which is widely recognized as one of the most successful federal employment programs. It is also the only initiative focused on meeting the training and employment needs of a rapidly growing older population. Those individuals interested in this program should contact Sheri Martendale, SCSEP assistant, at 262-3472.

Individuals interested in giving back to the community through the VIP program are invited to call Lt. Mike Hermann at 994-8251 or pick up an application at Clearlake Police Department, 14050 Olympic Drive.

The closing date for the first VIP Academy is 5 p.m. Friday, May 18.

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