The black Crown Victoria sedan is usually the first thing that makes most people do a double-take. Though it looks, at first glimpse, like a Sandy Springs police car, the name painted on the door tells another story.
The Citizen Patrol vehicle does have a rack of emergency lights on the roof and a radio linked to the police dispatcher, but the two riders are part of a volunteer squad dedicated to keeping the community peace. The program kicked off a few months ago when several graduates of the city’s Citizens Policy Academy were invited to take their interest in community policing just a step further.
“We train the Patrol volunteers for a couple of hours a week for eight weeks,” explained Jeff Holmes, the program coordinator. “They become more familiar with traffic control, crime analysis, radio use and procedures. And we do give them some time driving experience; a lot of them may never have driven a car equipped as a police car or as big as a Crown Victoria.”
The volunteers are on the road several hours a week, filling in where the sworn officers may be too busy to go -- snarled traffic jams, store parking lots, off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods.
“I live on a cul-de-sac, and I’ve never seen a police car drive down there,” said volunteer Jon Lewis, who has lived in Sandy Springs for 14 years. “Those are the kind of places we like to go, so there’s visibility for people who have probably never seen a police car on their street. We also ride around parking lots to deter crime. If there’s a stranded motorist and officers are busy, we can handle that so an officer doesn’t have to.”
Lewis often rides with Rick Stafford, a 15-year resident who was drawn to the idea of partnering with the police in the community.
“We’re extending what the police can to,” he said. “And so far, the reaction has been very positive. People will stop us and want to know what we do. They’re happy to see us.”
Lewis has had the same response. “Once they find out we’re volunteers who aren’t being paid or wasting tax dollars, they’re more responsive to the program,” he said.
Though the volunteers are outfitted in black shoes, tan pants and a polo shirt with the Citizens’ logo, they do not carry weapons of any kind. And they’re not out prowling for confrontations.
“We have yet to catch somebody in the middle of a crime,” said Lewis. “We handle traffic, accidents and stranded motorists.”
The first class of volunteers was about a third women, and ages ranged from 50 through the mid-70s. A second class is currently underway, and Holmes hopes to have more in the future.
“The police are very supportive of this program,” he said. “With these volunteers on the road, we’ve got extra sets of eyes and ears.”
Anyone interested in the program is invited to contact the Sandy Springs police department’s community affairs unit at 770-551-6900.
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