CLER
Welcome to CLER™—The Council for Law Enforcement Reserves. If you are a Reserve Law Enforcement Officer (RLEO), manager, administrator or policy-maker overseeing or associated with a Law Enforcement Reserve Program (LERP) or if you are contemplating establishment of a LERP, then you've come to the right place! The Council for Law Enforcement Reserves (CLER™, pronounced "clear") is a national advocacy organization that promotes the professionalization of our nation's law enforcement reserve community. As we enter the 21st century, never has the time been better, or more critical, for the precious resources and manpower that RLEOs provide.
RLEOs come from many sources and have many motivations. Some are former full-time LEOs who have changed careers but still want to remain in law enforcement: LERPs provide the perfect vehicle. Other RLEOs are focused on attaining a law enforcement career and see a LERP as a rational gateway into the profession. However, most RLEOs are service-oriented citizens who have the physical and mental abilities, good judgement and personal resources required to have a second career in law enforcement. These volunteers are the bedrock of any reserve program and often provide other professional or technical skills that prove beneficial to their agencies.
A well-run and enthusiastically-supported reserve program yields tremendous additional resources and capabilites that enhance and enrich an agency's talent pool, operational scope and community reach. Senior RLEOs become proven and respected reservoirs of experience and institutional knowledge. In times of crisis, the additional manpower resources of reserve programs can ensure continuity of routine services and police presence while FTEs focus on the critical incident. And as we've seen with recent natural disasters, even distant events can result in deployment of local personnel, special teams and equipment for extended periods of time. By maintaining a normal police presence, agencies reassure their communities and effectively maintain public safety.
CLER™ is your national advocate for our law enforcement reserve community. We have the global understanding, statistics, anecdotes, facts and figures that can explain and present the benefits, impacts and realities of LERPs. To ensure that this capability is up-to-date, we ask that all RLEOs and LERPs fill out the ReserveCop.Com™ surveys for officers and agencies, respectively. With completion of a survey, each officer and program becomes a member of CLER™—it's that simple. Additionally, CLER™ evaluates each survey and accredits a rank to recognize professional development and career attainment. It is important that all members keep their surveys updated so that rankings can be current. This provides professional accreditation on a national basis, levelling the playing field for our reserve law enforcement community.
CLER™ is about reserve law enforcement and professionalization of our nation's law enforcement reserves. To this end, let us know how we can help.
With our deepest respect,
The CLER™ Staff
