IACP/Wilmington University Award
for Outstanding Achievement in Law Enforcement
Volunteer Programs

The IACP/Wilmington University Award for Outstanding Achievement in Law Enforcement Volunteer Programs recognizes volunteer programs that demonstrate innovative, effective practices for augmenting sworn or civilian staff and/or improving service delivery to their communities.

This year’s winners were the Las Vegas, NV, Metropolitan Police Department; and the Hamilton, Ontario, Police Service. Seven agencies received honorable mention: California Highway Patrol; Central Point, OR, Police Department; Collin County, TX, Sheriff's Office; Cumberland County, ME, Sheriff's Office; Port St. Lucie, FL, Police Department; Sequim, WA, Police Department; and Surprise, AZ, Police Department. These agencies were recognized at a reception on October 25, 2011, in Chicago, IL, during the IACP annual conference.

The Hamilton, Ontario, Police Services uses volunteers throughout the department. Examples of volunteer positions include providing victim crisis intervention services, staffing community policing Centres, serving as musicians with the Hamilton Police Pipe Band, providing university patrols at McMaster University, answering Aggressive Driver Hotline calls, registering and photographing bicycles for the Bicycle Identification Program, and many other projects. In 2010, Hamilton Police Service Volunteer Program’s 400 volunteers provided 100,000 hours of service to department and the community. As evidence of specific positive outcomes, volunteers accomplished the following: more than 2,000 children fingerprinted; 400 Aggressive Driver Hotline warning letters issued; 1,000 infant car seat installations; 10,000 Lock it or Lose it vehicle checks; and school safety presentations to more than 5,000 children. Additionally, volunteers assisted with 20 parades and 22 festivals and participated in 14 Pipe Band competitions.

The Las Vegas, Nevada, Metropolitan Police Department’s Metro Volunteer Program (MVP) began in 1997. Since that time, the program has grown to 458 volunteers. MVP volunteers perform a wide variety of tasks in the department: writing handicapped parking citations, assisting crime prevention specialists, phoning senior citizens to check on their well being, searching for missing people, conducting court room tours for students, and etching VIN numbers on cars to prevent auto thefts. In 1999, volunteers began serving in the Visitor Information and Visitor Assistance (VIVA) program, where they serve as goodwill ambassadors by assisting tourists, providing information, and distributing crime prevention information at McCarran International Airport, along the Las Vegas Strip, and at the Fremont Street Experience. For the last four years volunteers have assisted in the community shredding events to help prevent identity theft and were recognized for their efforts by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Customer Service Excellence Program. In 2010, the volunteers contributed 135,000 hours of value added service to the department.

Representing the winning agencies at the recent awards reception were (left to right): Laurie Porthouse and Keith Fralick of the Hamiltion, Ontario, Police Service, and Sharon Harding, Las Vegas, NV, Metropolitan Police Department

Established in 2003, the goal of the award program is to recognize the value that volunteers provide to state and local law enforcement and to institutionalize the theories and practices of the national Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) Program. The Volunteers in Police service (VIPS) program has its roots in the USA Freedom Crops initiative which followed the September 11 attacks. Citizen Corps was created in 2002 to help coordinate volunteer activities to make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to any emergency situation. It provides opportunities for people to participate in a range of measures to make their families, their homes, and their communities safer from the threat of crime, terrorism, and disasters of all kinds.

Citizen Corps partner programs build off the successful efforts in many communities around the country to prevent crime and respond to emergencies. VIPS is one of five Citizen Corps partner programs. The IACP manages the VIPS program in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

Click here for information and an application for the 2012 award program.

Application deadline May 14, 2012.

For more information on how to apply, contact Carolyn Cockroft at cockroftc@theiacp.org.