The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to announce the dates for the 10th Community Safety Volunteer Academy – March 3 – May 7, 2015. The Community Safety Volunteer Program began in April, 2006. More than 100 from 4 agencies have graduated, with the majority of them still active throughout Douglas and Elbert Counties.
The Community Safety Volunteer program is a community policing in its most basic form – a structured way for citizens to participate in helping provide for the safety and security of their own community. CSVs support the major activities of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office — Patrol, Investigations, Detentions, Civil, and Community Resources – and activities where their unique expertise and or life experience are of benefit. CSVs are citizen volunteers who attend a training academy consisting of over 100 hours of field and classroom instruction and contribute a minimum of 16 hours of volunteer time each month after graduation. A CSV since 2007, Bill Wilson states “It provides me and others a real opportunity to give back to our community and hopefully contribute to providing a safe environment for the families of Douglas County.”
Since inception of the program, CSVs have made significant contributions to Douglas County by volunteering thousands of hours. Some of the areas accounting for the over 130,000 hours of volunteer time include:
Patrol – VIN inspections; traffic control for accidents; abandoned vehicles; neighborhood, park, and elementary school patrols; vehicle impounds; found property and criminal mischief reports; vacation housewatch
Investigations – County liquor code inspections; pawn slip data entry
Detentions – Intake duties such as setting up inmate files, bonding, fingerprinting; GED instruction, alcohol and drug recovery and religious classes
Civil – Administratively locate person(s) with outstanding warrants, concealed handgun permitting
Community Resources – Christmas for Kids; Colorado Life Trak program; National Night Out; community safety fairs and events, business information/contact forms
CSV Larry Walters, graduate of the 2010 CSV Academy, says, “The camaraderie enjoyed among the group of people from widely varying backgrounds is fun. The appreciation shown by the Sheriff’s Office is one of the reasons I enjoy being a CSV. This is a most satisfying way to serve the citizens of Douglas County.”
If you are interested in becoming a part of this outstanding group of individuals and contributing your time and your unique life experience and expertise in support of law enforcement in Douglas County, visit the DCSO website at www.dcsheriff.net and click on the Employment Tab, then Community Safety Volunteer link for personal requirements and additional information. Interested individuals should submit a completed application as soon as possible since the background investigation may take 2-3 months to complete.
The 2015 CSV Academy will begin March 3, 2015 and run for 10 weeks. It will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm-10pm and 4 Saturdays from 8am-5pm. Graduation is set for May 7, 2015.
If you have questions or require further information, please contact CSV Admin Coordinator Toni Reynolds at 303-814-7063 opt. 1 or send an e-mail to CSV@dcsheriff.net .