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Posted: August 31, 2006
Dan Hay, a 33-year Plano resident, wanted to give back to his community. He found his niche after his participation in Plano’s Citizens Police Academy fueled an interest in becoming part of the law enforcement process in Plano, as a citizen volunteer.
“I’ve lived here for a long time and I think the Plano Police Department has done a fantastic job,” he stated. “I don’t see Plano as being a high-crime area at all, but I think there are a lot of things that we, as citizens, can do.”
This sentiment is strongly echoed by the Plano Police, who will debut their new program, Citizens Assisting Plano Police (CAPP), Friday, September 1, 2006.
Complete with designated marked vehicles and uniforms, CAPP has an initial team of approximately 60 citizens, all graduates of the Citizens Police Academy, in line to undertake a number of volunteer positions to assist in Police field and internal activities.
“There will be more people on the street, more eyes on the street, to release some officers to enforcement action, rather than doing administrative teams,” said Sergeant Frank McElligott, Neighborhood Patrol Officer and staff liaison to both the Citizens Police Academy and CAPP. “It is always better to have more people on the streets than less. The Academy gives citizens the opportunity to learn what the Police Department does and doesn’t do and why we do some things and don’t do some things. Graduates are given the opportunity to assist us in various activities through the Academy’s alumni association, but if they really want to get more involved we now have the CAPP program which increases their training and expands their scope of service.”
Held each spring and fall, the free Citizens Police Academy is led by the Plano Crime Prevention Unit, with all lectures and activities taught by Police Officers whose current assignments are directly involved in policing activities covered in their segment of the 13-week Academy. Participants must be over 18 and out of high school, possess a valid Texas driver’s license and successfully complete a background investigation to attend. Graduates may then join the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association.
“The (alumni) really like to volunteer. They like to give back to the city,” said Sergeant McElligott. It was the desire to increase the scope of the volunteer opportunities of the alumni, combined with the research already undertaken by Sergeant McElligott for a citizens patrol group, that led to the formation of CAPP. “They met with Plano Police Chief Rushin and expressed the desire for greater involvement and we took the best from the existing citizen programs in the area and developed CAPP.”
CAPP volunteers will not be involved in enforcement duties. A sampling of the aid they will provide officers includes special enforcement requests, such as investigating speeding in school zones (relaying information to the traffic division). They will assist in lost children/adult location, will continue to monitor the SkyWatch program (sky towers set up in shopping areas to deter auto theft and parking lot security). They will aid in crime scene assistance (setting up barricades and outer perimeter help), festival/parade patrols, assist in officer shuttles (such as between the station, an accident scene or hospital), inspect the perimeter integrity of identified homeland security sites, work as “victims” in various training and emergency management scenarios and aid in a variety of administration situations such as front desk assistance at the central police station.
“They will continue to do warrant calls,” said Sergeant McElligott. “Last year we probably cleared $230,000 in outstanding warrants using volunteers who used their time in making those calls.” Another major project will be continuing to work in the Open Garage Door Program through neighborhood patrol and citizen education. “I’ve personally been involved in this program and found that a lot of garage doors have been left open,” said Mr. Hay. “I’ve had neighbors on both sides of me who had things taken from the garage just because they left the door open while they went around to the front of the house, so I’m very interested in working with this program and assisting the citizens in any way we can.”
CAPP volunteers will ideally have completed the Citizens Police Academy, followed by successful completion of a background check before assigned to patrol. Designated trucks and uniforms clearly set CAPP members apart from sworn officers. Vehicles are supplied with all needed equipment and materials. No weapons are carried by CAPP volunteers who will not engage in confrontational situations, such as domestic disputes, etc.
“Our training is basically that we are to assist citizens in any non-confrontational way that we can,” said Mr. Hay. “The markings on our vehicles and uniforms are clearly not to be confused with the Police Department. Our purpose is to use the radio in the event we observe a crime in progress or need assistance.”
Volunteers receive specialty training in their field of interest, rather than being generalists in all areas and can choose from a variety of shift duties and hours.
To gain more information about CAPP and/or the free Citizens Police Academy contact Sergeant Jeremy Watney or Sergeant Frank McElligott, Crime Prevention Unit at 972-941-2432.
(Pictured above is CAPP Volunteer John Mouser)
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