York County police departments seeking citizen volunteers
York County police departments seeking citizen volunteers
Daily Record/Sunday News
Carroll Township Police Chief Sean Kapfhammer was looking for more than a community watch when he asked for volunteers to serve alongside police officers. He wanted willing men and women to be trained, wear uniforms and act as the "eyes and ears" of the police department.
The response was exactly what the department hoped, he said.
Eleven people -- including college students, a married couple and other concerned citizens -- have started their basic law, traffic enforcement and communication training. By summer, Kapfhammer hopes to have the volunteers out on the streets of the department's coverage area in Carroll and Monaghan townships and Dillsburg.
As Carroll Township Police moves forward with its auxiliary unit, other departments have been looking to adopt similar programs.
York Area Regional Police Department said last month they were seeking community members to assist the department.
"The people who have attended the citizen academy would be good volunteer candidates," Officer Peter Montgomery said shortly after the academy's graduation last month.
The graduates have already gone through background checks, he said, and are familiar with officers and the department's functions. Montgomery, York Area Regional's crime prevention coordinator, is organizing the department's Volunteers in Police Service program -- a federal program that doesn't offer grants, but gives suggestions and guides for how police and citizens can work together.
Montgomery is looking for volunteers to help with desk duties, noncriminal fingerprints, child-car-seat installation, meeting and event assistance, and department tours.
"Each task would help keep officers on the street," he said.
The department is waiting to hear from its insurance company on the liability risks involved with volunteers handling equipment and potentially working with private documents.
"There has to be a trust there with whoever would come in," Montgomery said.
Implementing citizen volunteers might be new for some area departments, but Hellam Township Police Department Commissioner Terry Inch has seen how someone without the power to arrest can put a troubled citizen at ease.
Before moving to Pennsylvania, Inch worked with Scotland Yard and saw how England's 49 police forces worked together to bring in volunteer police officers.
Most volunteers had an interest in joining the police service or another aspect of community service, Inch said, and were used throughout the department.
"One sect of volunteers called the 'police specials' are unpaid, uniformed volunteers who complete police training," Inch said. "They will no doubt be used during the upcoming royal wedding."
Most of England's volunteer officers make home welfare checks, respond to automatic alarms and take basic police reports.
Why does it work so well?
"These volunteers have a relationship with their fellow citizens that officers don't always have," Inch said. "It creates this path of communication that doesn't exist (in Pennsylvania)."
But Inch is looking to change that. "We have absolutely nothing to hide, but most people don't know what we do," Inch said. "The only contact we have with people is when something goes wrong."
While the department has been successful in reaching schools, adults have lost connection with the department. About 18 people completed a five-week citizen academy organized by the department, but Inch hopes to do more.
LikeYork Area Regional, Hellam Township Police will be ready to take on volunteers once they smooth out liability concerns.
"It's easier to do nothing than it is to do something," Inch said. "But I'm happy to know this is becoming more popular."
How to get involved
York Area Regional Police are looking for residents of its jurisdiction to volunteer. Duties include desk work, noncriminal fingerprinting, child-care-seat installation, data support, help with meetings and community events, giving department tours, and equipment maintenance. The department would provide all training, and volunteers will be supervised.
Those interested are asked to contact Officer Peter Montogmery at 741-1259 or pmontgomery@yapd.org. York Area Regional's coverage area includes York, Windsor and North Hopewell townships; and Jacobus, Dallastown, Felton, Windsor, Yoe and Red Lion boroughs.
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