ReserveCop.Com

This article, by Guy Reimche, Half Moon Bay Police Department Sgt. (Retired) City ID#: 14, demonstrates how volunteer programs provide an effective and trusted pipeline for developing talent.  This is one of the most important roles that law enforcement reserve programs perform.

The news of the city's police department folding has hit me very hard.

In 1972, I had the pleasure of becoming Half Moon Bay's first police explorer, along with 36 other kids between the ages of 14-18. The explorer program gave kids firsthand working knowledge and training on being a police officer. Despite the fact that the program quickly diminished to 15 explorers over the next several months, Half Moon Bay's explorer post was so popular and fun that in 1975, the police department opened up the Half Moon Bay Police Cadet Program.

The Cadet Program allowed those age 18 to 21 to remain in the police department after graduating from the Explorer Program. Many transitioned from cadets to police reserves, then went on to becoming police officers in Half Moon Bay or in other departments. I remember that 10 police explorers followed their path into full-time law enforcement. Five of those became Half Moon Bay officers.

I learned early and quickly that I wanted to be a police officer, probably since I was nine. I wanted to follow in my father's footsteps since he too was a Half Moon Bay Police Reserve from 1969-1972. He left prior to me becoming an explorer when he took a job with Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) in San Francisco.

I had learned so much as an explorer and cadet that I was actually training some of the reserve officers with office duties, computer and booking procedures.  In 1978 at age 20, I became one of the youngest police reserves HMBPD ever had with only one exception -- Glenn Magri, who was a reserve at age 18. I knew Glenn very well and had the pleasure to work with him on patrol.

Later in 1978, I chose to put myself through the police academy and took a leave of absence for three months, but I couldn't stay away totally. On some weekends I came out to work patrol, while the officers tested me on my academy training. I must say they were a little harder on me than the academy was probably since they were like a second family of mine for so long.

Two months after I graduated from the police academy, Half Moon Bay Police Chief John Gonzales called me on the phone and said to me the words I had longed to hear:  "This is the Chief, how are you doing? I have a job open, do you want it?"

The next 17 years I took on a wide range of positions at the department: Patrol, Traffic Officer, Field Training Officer, Range Master, DUI Officer, Detective, Equipment & Fleet Officer. Later I was a driving force to develop a FTO/Senior Officer status to help provide supervisory coverage at times where there were no sergeants on duty. We wore corporal chevrons to distinguish us as FTO/Senior officers.

For the full article, go to:

http://halfmoonbay.patch.com/articles/its-like-a-second-home-longtime-half-moon-bay-police-officer-reflects