Gretchen Hoffman
GLENDALE -- With a recent spate of reserve officers signing up as
full-time officers with the Glendale Police, the program is looking for a
few good men and women.
Over the past year, about five reserve officers left the program for
paid positions, resulting in a "very big push" for new reserves to
replace them, Agent Brian Cohen said. Officers are targeting the business
community for people interested in "giving back to the community," he
added.
The reserve program, which normally hovers around 25 officers, is down
to 17, with three others currently in the reserve academy, Cohen said.
The ideal number of reserve officers is 50, he added.
Reserve officers have the same training and duties within the
department as regular officers. They're an integral part of making the
department run smoothly, Cohen said.
Last week, reserve officers filled a patrol shift, allowing the
regular officers to attend a day of training, he said.
They'll also fill in the gaps for officers who want to participate in
the April 20 Baker-to-Vegas relay race against hundreds of other law
enforcement agencies, he said.
"Without the reserve staff, they wouldn't be able to go out and do
it," Cohen said.
With 17 reserve officers who put in a minimum of 16 hours per month,
that's an extra cache of staffing hours that can't be ignored, Cohen
said.
In 2000, reserve officers logged about 7,500 hours, 6,200 of which
were unpaid -- a savings of about $146,000 to the city, he said.
It's especially important now, when the department is scrambling to
find qualified officers to fill a number of vacancies created by retiring
officers, he added.
Unlike with some reserve programs at other police departments,
Glendale's reserve officers fill in for every aspect of the job -- from
undercover work to stints on robbery/homicide and narcotics, Cohen said.
Reserve officers are the ones who always work the Glendale High School
football games, and they're the officers who provide extra holiday
security at Glendale Galleria.
The program is especially looking for "career reservists," Cohen said.
Many of the reserve officers join the program as a trial run to see if
they like being a police officer, and the Glendale department.
"It's a loss for the program, but it's a gain for the department as a
whole," Cohen said.
The reserve officers program is currently accepting applications for a
September training academy. Applications can be picked up at Glendale
City Hall, 613 E. Broadway. For more information, call 548-3154.
