The four members of the Scotts Valley Police Department Reserve Officer Program provide area residents with optimal safety, putting their lives on the line for a stipend of $100 a month.
Reserve officers are citizen volunteers who provide police services to the people of Scotts Valley.
“Scotts Valley is a great place to volunteer my time,” said Don Murray, 54, who works full time at Nalco, a water filtration facility. “If we were standing side by side next to an officer you wouldn’t know we were a reserve.”
Murray, who has been a reservist for 23 years, wears a uniform, badge and gun while on patrol.
David Bergman, 56, a real estate broker full time and Harbor High School grad, has been volunteering with the Scotts Valley Police for the past 21 years.
“The department is definitely our family,” he said. “We completely trust each other.”
Other active reservists include Scott Mitchell and retired Lt. John Hohmann.
The California Reserve Peace Officer Program (RPOP) is composed of members who choose to dedicate a portion of their time to community service by working as part-time employees or volunteers with law enforcement agencies.
These officers work with full-time regular officers to provide law enforcement services at the city, county, district, and state levels. Approximately 600 law enforcement agencies currently employ nearly 6200 reserve officers.
Scotts Valley formed its reserve office program in 1967. Since that time the number of reserve peace officers has increased and their duties and responsibilities have expanded.
Duties of reserve officers include:
• Uniformed patrol
• Investigations
• Search and rescue
• Special events
• Graduations
• Wharf to Wharf
“Our Reserve Officers are the embodiment of community policing,” Police Chief Steve Walpole said Wednesday. “We are a small department and when major events happen, like the winter storms last year, they are always there to give a helping hand to our full time employees. I am very proud of our Reserve Officers who have been here for many years and look forward to working with our newest Reserve Officers in the years to come.”
Reservists are required to meet the same selection standards as full-time regular officers, including personal history investigation and medical and psychological screening.
The four-member volunteer team undergoes weapons training, active shooter training, and first-aid training.
Reserve officers are required to work a minimum of 16 hours a month, but on average they usually work more.
Murray, a Soquel High School graduate, said it makes good economic sense for the department to enlist volunteers.
“I’ve seen a lot of officers come and go,” he said. “The volunteer program saves us money each year.”
For more information about the Reserve Unit of the Scotts Valley Police Department, visit www.scottsvalleypd.com/reserve-unit.
