Volunteer Unit

Volunteers Can Strengthen Community

Every day, the uniformed men and women representing the Hazelwood Police Department strive to protect our neighborhoods, reduce crime and uphold the laws of our community. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the department has worked even harder to ensure public safety and strengthen our relationship with the citizens we serve.

None of this could be done without the help of more than 25 citizen volunteers working within our agency to assist with important administrative and non-intervention policing activities, freeing up more officers for their frontline responsibilities.

Nationwide, over 38,000 volunteers are working within more than 700 police departments as part of Volunteers in Police Services (VIPS), a key component of President Bush's Citizen Corps initiative to help make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to emergency situations. As part of his 2002 State of the Union address, President Bush asked every American to volunteer two years - or 4,000 hours - over the course of their lives in service to our communities and our country. He created the USA Freedom Corps to connect millions of Americans to meaningful service opportunities such as VIPS.

In our department alone, volunteers serve valuable roles by engaging in school DARE program graduations, assisting with traffic control at events, organizing Neighborhood Watch programs, manning the St. Louis Mills police substation reception area and helping with important administrative responsibilities.

The Hazelwood Police volunteers:

• Help by being involved with the Citizens Observation Patrol(COP), Hazelwood Municipal Courts Services, police vehicle maintenance and the Criminal Investigation Division;
• Consist of more than 25 dedicated citizens;
• Donates thousands of hours of service each year; and
• Contribute hours that are impossible to place a dollar amount on.

With greater demands placed on our law enforcement agencies today, these volunteers are absolutely vital to ensure that our officers have the time to focus on their key tasks. Our public safety, in a time of heightened security and new threats, depends on it.

In the aftermath of Sept. 11, police officers and firefighters are among the leading heroes of young people. If we are going to build a culture of service and citizenship, our officers and the citizens that support them must play leading roles. Fortunately, the Hazelwood Police Department is doing just that.

For more information about how you can volunteer to support the Hazelwood Police Department, please contact Don Routh at (314) 838-5000.

Carl Wolf
Chief of Police
Hazelwood Police Department

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