by Terri Wiebold

Beginning in April, citizens interested in volunteering in the area of public safety will have the opportunity to participate in a new program through the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

"The Community Safety Volunteer Program" enables volunteers to provide services to the community in those areas of law enforcement that do not require the attention of a sworn officer. Qualified volunteers will be required to attend a 10-week citizen’s academy and will receive specialized training in the areas of self defense, conflict resolution, defensive driving, and many other basic skills useful in the field of law enforcement.

Volunteers will be asked to perform community service tasks including: processing fingerprint applications; performing Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) verifications; giving presentations on crime prevention topics; completing tow company paperwork at accident scenes; assisting with traffic control; and a variety of other office-related duties.

This program is the result of Sheriff David Weaver’s passion to work in partnership with local residents to achieve safety and pride of ownership in the community. “In my 24 years of law enforcement experience, I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of very talented people, many of whom were civilians,” said Sheriff Weaver about his motivation for starting the program. “I had it in the back of my mind that if I ever became Sheriff, I would work hard to incorporate those individuals from the community more.”

The classes will meet every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Justice Center in Castle Rock, and three Sundays in between. Volunteers will also be required to complete a minimum of 30 “ride-along” hours with a patrol officer. Some courses and material will be available online.

For a list of minimum requirements to apply for this program, go to www.cpnhoa.org. Applications are available online at www.dcsheriff.net or at the Sheriff’s Office. For additional information, please contact Captain Kim L. Castellano at 303-660-7516.