Volunteers needed to help out in Police Service program

The Post Falls Police Department is looking for a few good volunteers.

Charlene Holbrook, coordinator for the Volunteers in Police Service program, hopes to bump up the level of volunteers at the department to meet an increased demand on the staff.

The department has 31 detectives, patrol officers, sergeants and lieutenants on staff. With volunteer help, the employees have more time to complete projects and keep up with daily work.

“We wouldn’t have them do anything we wouldn’t do ourselves,” she said.

Some tasks, such as hauling speed trailers out for traffic control, are still carried out by police officers. But the duties could shift to volunteer hands if enough people step up.

She said the department hopes to expand the volunteer services into a citizen patrol, where the volunteers supplement police duties, such as checking up on houses whose owners are on vacation.

“They wouldn’t carry weapons or be put in any danger,” Holbrook said.

Volunteers pick and choose from a list of job duties and interests. Then they are matched up with duties according to their skills and are placed in an area they enjoy, she said.

Those interested fill out an application just as if they were applying for a job at the department and receive training after fingerprinting, a polygraph test and a full background check. She said the volunteers may handle sensitive information and the extra precaution will help attract dependable volunteers.

The volunteer program started last year with four volunteers and has grown to nine volunteers. Holbrook hopes to have 20 volunteers in the next few months.

She said the department has enough projects to keep volunteers busy for as long as possible.

One of the department’s larger projects involves computerizing its old records and destroying the paper copies. Holbrook said most volunteers are retired seniors, but the department won’t turn any applicants away. She said the department is looking for people with computer skills to help out with the records and people skills to help give tours and answer phones.

“It really benefits them because many have lost their husbands or wives and this helps gets them back out in the community,” she said. “They feel they’re part of a group.”

Mary Button of Post Falls was one of the original volunteers about a year ago. She’s lived in the area for about 20 years and retired from real estate and mortgage lending after 30 years.

After a few years of retirement, she was ready to get back out and do something other than house work, she said. Her husband was in law enforcement, so she filled out an application when she heard about the program.

“I’ve always been interested in police work and what they do and I have the highest respect for them,” she said. “I thought this is just what I need.”

She now works in the records area assisting with filing and transferring old records to the computer. She also helps with telephones, customer service and anywhere else the staff needs a hand.

While volunteers are only required to spend four hours a week with the department, Button typically gives a full day three days a week.

She said she likes the freedom of being able to pick and choose her work schedule and hopes to help out as long as she’s able.

“It gives me just what I need to fill in the empty spots in my life,” Button said.