An Emerging Sector in Law Enforcement Volunteering: Volunteers in Investigations

Following a focus group conducted by the Volunteers are recruited, screened, and Volunteers in Police Service Program on the interviewed by the volunteer coordinator. The subject of using volunteers for investigative PPD’s Citizens Police Academy serves as the purposes, we decided to feature four such basic recruiting tool for volunteer services. All agencies in our latest VIPS in Focus. These volunteers, with a few exceptions, must complete well trained and skilled volunteers work in the academy prior to applying for any volunteer investigations and on cold case squads, while position. The 12-week course exposes citizens enhancing their department’s productivity in to the different divisions and operations of handling crimes against persons and property, the Pasadena Police Department. Volunteers and identity crimes. are also subject to a background investigation and interview before being cleared for duty. Pasadena, California, Police Department Volunteers are selected for a specific division on the basis of program and department needs. Pasadena, CA, has a population of 146,000 and Orientation to the department is reinforced at is home to one of the country’s most famous the time of placement in the position. Hands-on tourist spots, the Rose Bowl. The Pasadena training is given by a police staff member when a Police Department (PPD) employs a staff of 400 volunteer assumes a new assignment. employees and 260 sworn officers. Currently the department has more than 160 active volunteers Department volunteers actively assist with placed on 12 specialized teams, boards, and various volunteer programs including the committees, assisting the department on all Citizens Assisting Pasadena Police Program, levels. Pasadena was the host city for the Youth Accountability Board, Parade Watch, California Association of Chiefs of Police State Safe Shopping Detail, Volunteer Translation Conference earlier this year as Chief Bernard Team, Chaplains Group, and Equestrian Unit. Melekian serves as the current President of the Volunteers assist with traffic control and parking association. The conference attracted more than at local events, participate in National Night Out, 365 attendees. the Kids and Teen police academies, and the Citizens Police Academy. The volunteer services program at the PPD has been in existence for more than 20 years.

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In 2006, the Pasadena Police Department received Carolina, is America’s fifth largest urban area. an award from the International Association of While rooted in the southeast of the country, Chiefs of Police for their Identity Theft program, Charlotte offers a metropolitan lifestyle with the first of its kind. The innovative “Community southern charm. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Response to Eradicate and Deter Identity Police Department (CMPD) serves a population Theft” (C.R.E.D.I.T.) program is made up of of 809,500 residents. More than 1,600 sworn five volunteers who assist the Financial Crime officers and 465 civilian employees provide Unit of the department. Each volunteer brings public safety services to the communities a distinctive asset to the program to assist in of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The solving ID crimes. One volunteer retired as a Vice department has more than 550 volunteers, President with the Bank of America, where she including one who has been on board for a worked for 39 years. Volunteers spend between record-breaking 26 years. two to ten hours a week sifting through cases and pursuing potential leads by making phone calls, Volunteers at the CMPD provide critical services contacting businesses and victims, and typing in to the department and community. In addition case reports. The volunteers are not only able to to a Citizens on Patrol Unit, Animal Control keep the victims up to date on their case status, Unit, Parking Enforcement, and Police Athletic but also offer a personal connection and attention League program, CMPD volunteers also assist that officers may not have the time to provide. with the Investigations Bureau, and have a Crime Scene Investigations Unit (CSI). All volunteers The volunteers have proven to be an invaluable are required to go through fingerprinting and a resource to the department and as a result, criminal background check, including a driver’s the Pasadena Police Department has forged license history check and drug screening. strong partnerships with the community. At Volunteers that take on special roles such as this time, the department is looking into a Pawn investigations are often required to submit to Shop Detail Program where the bulk of the additional screening such as a polygraph test work performed would also be completed by given that some positions involve sensitive and volunteers. The program will be modeled after classified information. Those steps are taken the C.R.E.D.I.T program. It is California law to ensure the volunteers working on the cases that pawners provide a copy of all pawn slips to adhere to the same standards set for officers of the local police department. The volunteer will the department. assist in entering pawn tickets into a searchable database, making it easier for detectives to Volunteers are required to complete a training conduct stolen property searches. and orientation session helping them become familiar with the policies of the department Charlotte Mecklenburg, North Carolina, Police and their assigned position prior to placement. Department Volunteers must dedicate a minimum of 16 hours of service per month with a minimum of six Known as the “Queen City,” Charlotte, North months service. The first 90 days are

Volunteers in Investigations 3 probationary for the department and has been immeasurable to not only the families the volunteer. Some units have specific and victims but the police department and requirements and training. Volunteers community as a whole. assigned in investigative units offer a unique perspective to solving crimes. At this time, El Paso County, Colorado, Sheriff’s Department the CMPD Cold Case Squad consists of two detectives and one FBI agent. The review El Paso County encompasses more than 2,200 teams consist of six civilian employees with square miles of land in east central Colorado. former law enforcement experience that The topography of the county varies from determine if the case needs investigations. If mountainous regions on the west to flat prairie so, volunteers are sometimes incorporated into land on the east. All sides feature uninterrupted the team. There are two exceptional volunteers panoramic views of the country which inspired that assist in several capacities. Some of those Katherine Lee Bates to write the poem “America duties include conducting research, locating the Beautiful” after her visit there. The El Paso people, patting witnesses, and/or writing lab County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) employs 538 full requests, and any other duties determined time staff, 349 sworn and 189 civilian, organized necessary by the individual division offices. under three bureaus: the Detentions Bureau, To date, the volunteer unit has worked on 101 the Law Enforcement Bureau, and the Support of 350 cold cases. Of those cases, 26 have been Services Bureau. solved. EPSO’s 500 VIPS volunteers fall under the Volunteers assigned to the CSI unit at purview of the Support Services Bureau with CMPD assist in processing of evidence by supervision from a full-time civilian coordinator. fingerprinting and taking photographs. EPSO has several components to its volunteer Volunteers may be assigned to the following program including: The Citizen’s Advisory units: auto theft, missing persons, gangs, vice/ Council; Reserve Section; Cadet Program; narcotics, sex crimes, criminal intelligence, Victim Advocacy; Search and Rescue; Wildland language skills, or homicide. These volunteers Fire; Citizen Patrol; RACES (Radio Amateur receive special technique training pertaining to Civil Emergency Service); Inmate Programs the identification, handling, and preservation (Chaplains, Music Therapy, Shakespeare classes, of key evidence. In addition to specialized Reintegration/Recovery); Patrol Chaplains; training, they also ride with a certified Language Services; Fire Investigations; crime scene investigator prior to their first HazMat; Range Assistants; Emergency investigation. Services; Administrative/Clerical; CERT; and Investigations. In addition to their individual duties, volunteers assisting in the evaluation of a case The volunteer program at EPSO began in 1996 will write critique reports. The support and aid and the volunteer investigative unit followed in of the volunteers in these investigative efforts 2001. In 2000, three retirees from various

Volunteers in Investigations 4 professions formed the Cold Case Squad who Police Department is staffed with 1,569 sworn examine major crimes, general investigations, employees, accompanied by 250 volunteers. In sex crimes/offenders, while paired with 2006, Denver Police Department (DPD) began sworn officers. It was through this squad that using a volunteer in the Cold Case Homicide the current volunteer investigative unit was division and the following year, created the conceived. Volunteer Crime Scene Team (VCST), the first of its kind. There are now 15 cold case volunteers in Currently, the unit has eight active volunteers Denver’s Volunteer Crime Scene Team and one who contributed a total of 725 hours in 2008 volunteer in Cold Case Homicide. The VCST and have logged 826 hours through July of this has contributed more than 7,456 hours, and the year. At this time, Colorado Springs has all homicide volunteer more than 407. volunteer cold case staffers. Detectives screen the volunteers who must also pass a criminal The Volunteer Crime Scene Team program was background and reference check, a voice stress developed in 2006 to augment crime laboratory analysis, and polygraph test. field resources in response to an overwhelming number of property crimes, including car theft. The investigations unit assists with property and This approach was in addition to Denver’s financial crimes, missing persons, runaways, and nation-leading use of DNA to reduce the rate of cold cases. Volunteers in this unit maintain the property crimes. The all volunteer team took cold case library, including the organization of part in an intensive one year training program the case books and workbooks; answer tip lines; at the Denver Police Department Academy. The organize case information; create spreadsheets goal of the program was to select 21 volunteer and reports; search computer and other records civilians who could demonstrate the volunteer for background information on persons or service and spirit by fulfilling the Volunteer property; reconstruct crime scenes; and attend in Policing mission to deliver quality support meetings and briefings concerning investigations. services to the sworn and civilian employees In 2006, the unit solved a 19-year-old murder of the Denver Police Department and to the case. The volunteers are currently working on 16 citizens of Denver. This task was completed by homicide and two missing persons cases. training highly qualified and dedicated civilians to collect fingerprints, biological evidence, and to Denver, Colorado, Police Department take photographs while gathering other critical forensic evidence on scene to assist the crime The most populous city in the state of Colorado, laboratory in processing and handling theft from Denver is known as the Mile High City as it sits motor vehicle, criminal mischief crimes, and one mile above sea level on the base of the Rocky other assignments. Mountains. The city is also home to the this year’s Annual IACP Conference and Exposition, Driving a specially marked Volunteer Crime attracting more than 13,000 law enforcement Scene van with a city seal when responding to executives to the city. The Denver calls, the volunteers are equipped with kits to

Volunteers in Investigations 5 process evidence photography equipment and policy manual. In addition, all VSCT members kits to process equipment. The VCST unit has attend community response training classes and responded to calls of theft from motor vehicle are certified in CPR and first aid on an ongoing cases in an effort to help reduce the rate of basis. property crimes by documenting, processing, and collecting evidence on scene as well as by The VCST unit continues to succeed by assisting the crime laboratory detectives as providing assistance to resource-constrained needed. Denver Police Department. With current economic struggles, DPD admits that employees All VCST volunteers go through an extensive are not being replaced and if not for the criminal background check which includes volunteers, most everyone would be facing driving history, personal and work references an increased work load. VCST’s participation check, and a polygraph examination. Each enables department detectives to quickly and volunteer is provided with full coverage efficiently eliminate search areas in question, insurance by the city, that covers accidental allows department personnel to remain in injury, liability, and supplemental auto service by freeing up valuable patrol time, and insurance. This is one of the largest budget items adds remarkable value to the DPD by creating a in the program. Training for the volunteers is safer and better city.

Denver Volunteer Crime Scene Team conducted by the detectives from the Crime Lab and Homicide Bureau. All volunteers are given a comprehensive handbook that includes the ins and outs of the program, as well as the volunteer

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