|
Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, public safety across the nation has seen a drastic increase in the number of everyday citizens wanting to get involved in protecting their cities and towns. But how do you go about integrating someone with interest, but little training or experience, into a professional structure without compromising the quality of service being provided? One successful example can be found in the story of the Framingham, Massachusetts volunteer Auxiliary Police.
Over a five-year period, they have developed a program that has so tightly integrated its membership with that of the full-time Police Department that Chief Steven Carl describes its officers as being part of the regular force. Behind the development of the unit is Auxiliary Captain Marc Spigel, a 24-year veteran known nationwide for his efforts and advocacy on behalf of auxiliary and reserve units.
By establishing a hiring process identical to that of the full-time Department (which rejects 79 percent of its own applicants), inclusive of full background checks, interviews, and testing procedures, he has built a team of officers equal in caliber to any new recruit. Although their initial training covers only a portion of the full-time Academy, continual efforts at education ensure that officers are prepared to meet the challenges they will face.
The unit is on patrol in two-man cars on weekend nights from 1600-0000, is subject to call-out as part of an emergency response to an incident, controls traffic at events, and goes out occasionally on patrol with full-time officers as the “second man” in a car, providing additional safety. The Auxiliary, along with the full-time Department, went through the national accreditation process three years ago, becoming the first Auxiliary in Massachusetts to do so.
The concept behind the unit has been to provide the full-time Department with an adjunct unit that takes some of the routine load off of its officers to allow them to focus more on crime intervention and prevention.
By expanding beyond the traditional role of civilian volunteers in police service, the unit’s members straddle the line between full-time officers and civilians: by day a part of the civilian working world, and by evening a trained and fully equipped officer, bringing a new perspective into day-to-day police work.
While some full-time officers were originally hesitant about the unit’s expanded role, Chief Carl reports that they have gained widespread acceptance and respect by proving themselves worthy of the job. The unit has been particularly careful not to take paid detail work away from full-time officers; as Captain Spigel points out, their role is to augment and not to replace.
By having civilians sworn to perform a role as a police officer (with limitations on their powers in recognition of their difference in training), and through a carefully planned program with input from all involved, it is entirely possible to merge efforts, and benefit both worlds, without detracting from either.
Greg Bogosian is the project manager at American Police Beat and is an auxiliary officer in training with the Belmont, Mass. Police Dept. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites        
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed