COPs program needs volunteers

Sgt. Rick Viola and the Mountain Home Citizens on Patrol are currently on the lookout to recruit volunteers to join the program.

"It's a chance to serve the community," Viola said. "By volunteering they aid themselves both personally and professionally. We are always looking for volunteers who want to make a difference and to assist the Citizens on Patrol in keeping the community safe."

The recruiting effort is part of National Police Week starting on Monday, May 11, and concluding on Saturday, May 17.

The Citizens on Patrol is looking for members who could fulfill such duties as patrol assistance, answer phones at the police department and help with other administrative duties, such as entering information in the police data base or providing follow-up on calls for detectives on cold cases.

The screening process for becoming a citizen on patrol is similar to that used for regular Mountain Home officers. The applicant meets with officers of the Citizens on Patrol group and a police liaison officer for an oral board interview.

Once completed, the applicant is required to go through a thorough background check and then placed on a 90-day probation, during which they receive their necessary training.

The skills that a COP member requires include being a good observer and to be able to communicate what they see to dispatch so that it can be relayed to the regular officer responding to the call.

"They are additional eyes and ears for the police. They are a key component to help us keep the crime rate down," said Viola.

The Citizens on Patrol have played an instrumental role in several events, including Relay For Life, the Daniel Dopps Rodeo, the 4th of July Fireworks, Kid Care Day at De Meyer Furniture, AFAD (and the air show), Shop With A Cop, the Lions Club Rumble and Roar at Carl Miller Park and Crazee Daze.

The program has been credited with the recovery of a stolen vehicle, saving a life of a child that fell through the ice in a pond at Legacy Park, assisting officers in locating suspicious persons or vehicles, catching DUI drivers, performing vacation watch requests and extra patrol requests, traffic control assistance, air ambulance traffic control, funeral escorts and other activities.

The Mountain Home program has been so successful that throughout the state of Idaho numerous departments are modeling their programs on it.

Mountain Home aided in the start of the Citizens on Patrol program in Weiser two years ago by donating a Citizens on Patrol vehicle.

The Citizens on Patrol has been an active organization in the city of Mountain Home since 1994.

The program has 20 regular members (some who have been with the program since its inception) and several honorary members. Currently Ken Anderson, a Citizens on Patrol member since 2002, serves as the commander while Jack Green serves as the vice commander.

The Citizens on Patrol group meets on the second and fourth Thursday each month at 7 p.m. at the Mountain Home Police Department. The first meeting focuses on administration issues and planning while the second meeting focuses on training.

The members usually patrol on Friday and Saturday evenings and during the day on Sunday. They are required to volunteer for at least eight patrol hours a month plus attend both scheduled meetings.

For more information on the COP program log onto www.4cops.net. From there you will be given information about the program and what you need to do to become a volunteer.