Citizens on Patrol

Citizens On Patrol – A Community Action Organization

Whatever would possess an average citizen of a community to voluntarily give up four hours a night, once a week, for fifteen weeks to learn more about the police department and the community they live in by attending the Dickinson Citizen’s Police Academy? Then, after completing that task, to spend an additional six hours in classroom instruction and four hours “in the field” to become actively involved in patrolling neighborhoods, helping citizens, and alerting the police department to possible criminal activities through the Citizen’s On Patrol program? The answer is twofold: First, these are not “average” citizens but “super-citizens” who are dedicated to improving the City of Dickinson and the relationship between the community and the Dickinson Police Department and, Second, they have found a unique and exciting way to become actively involved in building a better and safer community!

Started some four years ago by Dickinson Police Chief Ron Morales and citizen Ron Hebert, the first Citizen’s On Patrol academy boasted twelve members recruited from the Dickinson Police Academy Alumni Association. From that humble beginning, the program has grown to thirty-nine members who volunteered over sixteen hundred hours in 2007. Paul Lobit, one of the current coordinators of the program, said that the COP’s program has set its sights on a goal of two thousand (2000) hours for 2008!

The COPS program has as its primary goals the active patrolling of neighborhoods, the observation and recording of activities i.e. security checks of businesses, and the reporting of suspicious criminal activity to the police. To do this they operate a specially equipped Dickinson Police Department vehicle that has been striped with the COPS logo and equipped with the same radio as the regular patrol units. They carry no weapons and are not empowered to make arrests. A normal patrol will consist of two members in the vehicle and one who serves as the dispatcher. Patrol activities include doing security checks on businesses, vacation watches on residences, reporting non-operational streetlights and, most importantly, being visible and accessible in all of the neighborhoods. Their training creed is: Observe, Report, and Remove yourself from any danger.

Does it work? To this date COP’S patrols have been involved in assisting at traffic accidents, reporting actual crimes in progress, reporting fires, identifying over sixty streetlights that were out, providing security checks, providing programs at local schools, and helping to locate missing or runaway teens. Are they involved? On a recent patrol, one team observed and reported a house on fire. They waited to see if any assistance was needed and when the fire department arrived one member was handed a fire hose to help battle the blaze until more help could arrive! Why do they do it? One husband and wife team, Pete and Kathy Velazquez said that it was a truly meaningful activity, one that has stretched their normal comfort zones, and given them an opportunity to share experiences that are unique – besides that, it’s fun!

The next time you see a marked patrol car in your neighborhood, look closely. It may be the COP’S patrol with your friends and neighbors out helping to make Dickinson a safer community! Wave to them and visit with them, they are there for you. Who knows, you may even end up joining them.