While Eugene Police officers are fighting crime, a program of local volunteers are out looking for it. And they’re winning awards while they’re at it.
With budget cuts leaving the police shorthanded, the Eugene Police Department relies on a now award-winning volunteer program to help shoulder the weight of watching over the city. Volunteers can be seen patrolling local parks and playgrounds, keeping a watchful eye out for suspicious characters.
“We check the periphery and the surrounding areas and make sure there’s no one lurking in the shadows,” explained Seniors on Patrol volunteer Tony LaMarche.
“People come up to us and say ‘Hey we’re glad you’re here,’ and that’s kind of nice to hear,” added Jack Weiser, LaMarche’s partner.
Seniors on Patrol, one arm of the EPD volunteer program, is open to citizens aged 55 and older and provides a number of creative community services that police officers don’t have time for. The Vacation Home Check Program allows citizens to submit an application a few months before a vacation, and Seniors on Patrol makes scheduled house checks while they’re gone. Another is the Serialized and Valuable Property Identification Program. On request, Seniors on Patrol will visit citizens and document serial numbers and photos of valuables
onto a photo compact disc, which citizens can use for insurance records.
For their efforts, the Eugene Police Department’s Volunteers in Policing Program earned national recognition this summer. The EPD will accept the 2006 Outstanding Achievement in Law Enforcement Volunteer Programs Award this October.