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VOLUNTEERS IN PUBLIC SAFETY Citizen Volunteers assisting law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS with non-enforcement support functions.
We Are Recruiting Members At This Time!!! Click Here To Download An Application (Word File) Click Here for a Detailed Listing of Volunteer Opportunities Click Here for a Short Listing of the Volunteer Opportunities INTRODUCTION The idea for a citizen volunteer group began in the summer of 2003 after a rash of vandalism in the city park and several vehicle burglaries around town. The Chief of Police, Jim Bush, discussed placing citizen volunteers in the areas experiencing problems to be additional “eyes and ear” for the police department. The volunteers would call law enforcement if they saw anything out of the ordinary. After several months of planning and reviewing, Volunteers in Public Safety was born. The initial idea behind VIPS, to be additional “eyes and ears” for law enforcement, has grown into an extensive community policing program. The jobs and opportunities available in VIPS are limited only by the talents and ideas of its members. EQUIPMENT The program’s administrator, Assistant Chief Branden Bestgen, has applied for grants for the program. The grant funds are being used to equip each VIPS member with the equipment necessary to do their jobs. Members will be issued a uniform, including a winter shirt, a winter coat, a summer shirt, a reflective safety vest, and a cap. Not all duties require the uniform to be worn, but when needed, the Public Safety logo on the uniform will help the public identify the VIPS members. Members will also be issued an identification card, a whistle, a strobe light for directing traffic, a flashlight, a medical bag, and other necessary equipment. As funding permits, members will also be issued radios to communicate with each other and with dispatch. CERT Part of the program and funding comes from a national program called CERT which stands for Community Emergency Response Team. The CERT program helps train people to be better prepared to respond to emergency situations in their communities. When emergencies happen, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site. There will be special training in basic disaster response skills, such as fire suppression, search and rescue, and medical operations. The potential for a local disaster occurring is enhanced due to the annual motorcycle rally. Having citizens trained to respond is important to the safety of our citizens. In addition to CERT, the group is also part of other national volunteer groups such as Volunteers in Police Service and Citizen Corps. TRAINING Training will consist of an initial 40+ hour course which will give a broad overview of how the Public Safety departments operate. A few of the topics covered will be radio procedures, first aid and CPR, directing traffic, crowd control, prisoner transport, witness forms & statements, public contact, vehicle operations, and fingerprinting. The CERT portion of the training will include disaster preparedness, fire suppression, medical operations, search and rescue, disaster psychology, team organization, and disaster simulation. In addition to the overall training, additional training will be provided for each specific duty. VOLUNTEER TAX BENEFITS A volunteer may deduct out-of-pocket expenses incurred while doing volunteer work for certain groups approved by the Internal Revenue Service. Deductible expenditures may include direct gifts of money to an organization, automobile mileage and expenses, bus and cab transportation expenses, parking and tolls, special uniforms, telephone bills, entertainment and meals given to others, costs of meals and lodging if away overnight, and tickets to charity benefits above intrinsic value. Note: This list is an example only and is not inclusive. Please consult your tax preparer for further details. APPLICATION If you would like to become a member of the Volunteers In Public Safety program, contact Officer Branden Bestgen at the Sturgis Police Department at (605) 347-5070. You can also stop at the Meade County Law Enforcement Center at 1400 Main Street in Sturgis and pick up an application. You must be at least 18 years old and free from criminal history. Click Here To Download An Application (Word File) Click Here for a Detailed Listing of Volunteer Opportunities Click Here for a Short Listing of the Volunteer Opportunities
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