In an excellent article about the many benefits provided by RLEOs and their reserve programs, written by Becky Purser, reporting for the Sun News, Macon, GA. Friday, Feb. 13, 2009, she writes:
Ed Dunbar is among a dozen certified law enforcement officers who make up the reserve deputy force for the Houston County Sheriff’s Office.
“I just wanted to see what made these guys go into law enforcement,” Dunbar said of his decision 20 years ago to become a reserve deputy. “I got in and found out you can’t get out of it.”
The sentiments are the same for most reserve deputies: the love of the job, the ability to often make a difference in people’s lives and the close relationships developed among peers are common reasons for serving.
“It’s hard to get away from the crowd,” joked Dunbar of the camaraderie of fellow police officers. He plans to stay “until the sheriff runs me off.”
FILLING A VOID
The reserve deputies volunteer their time when working for the sheriff’s office from riding patrol and serving warrants to providing court security and working at the jail. Reserve deputies also volunteer to work the Middle Georgia Traffic Enforcement roadblocks.
Reserve deputies also may earn $20 an hour when working football games and other functions for the Houston County Board of Education, providing security for the Georgia National Fair or for private engagements such as working traffic for a wedding.
“We couldn’t fulfill our required commitments if we didn’t have them,” said Houston County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Billy Rape. “There’s no way to put a dollar value on it.”
Reserve deputies increase the sheriff’s office manpower without the additional cost of salaries and compensation packages paid to full-time deputies, Rape noted. The extra manpower also helps keep overtime hours down, Rape said. If a patrol shift is short a deputy due to sickness, a reserve deputy can fill in.
The reserve deputies are covered under workers compensation only while on duty and do not receive medical and other benefits that full-time deputies earn, he said.
Sheriff’s reserve Capt. Ricky Phifer, who oversees the reserve force, left law enforcement for a better paying job at Robins Air Force Base but wanted to keep his foot in the door through the reserve program. Phifer estimated his time as a reserve officer is 90 percent unpaid volunteer and 10 percent paid.
Longtime Peach County Sheriff Johnnie Becham retired in 2005 with plans to go fishing and a honey-do-list from Lucy, his wife of 50 years. But Becham enjoys helping with courthouse security, working roadblocks and providing security at sporting events as a reserve deputy.“I missed seeing a lot of the people within law enforcement,” Becham said. “It’s a way to keep in touch with the guys and it gives me a break in the routine.”
Reserve deputy Scott Barfield, also with JSTARS, said his career also took him on a different route but he enjoyed his service as a military cop. He started with the reserves Jan. 3 and has logged 56 volunteer hours and eight paid hours for the month.
“It’s back to the enjoyment,” said Barfield, whose full-time schedule gives him Fridays off. He chooses to spend that time volunteering as a reserve deputy. “I missed law enforcement.”
OTHER MIDSTATE COUNTIES
Bibb County Sheriff Jerry Modena said tough economic times have caused his department to take another look at reserve deputies, with plans to initially implement a volunteer force this year. In exchange for the volunteer service, reserve deputies earn the hours required to keep their police certification current, the sheriff said. They also benefit from the association with the sheriff’s office, he said.
Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese said he doesn’t have any reserve deputies but sees the value in such a force. Modena said he hopes that with expected savings in full-time manpower costs from having a reserve force, the sheriff’s office may eventually be able to pay reserve deputies.
Centerville reserve officers are volunteers, but Chief Anthony B. Cooper said he hopes he may be able to add a line-item in the budget to offer some compensation.
Reserve police officers in Byron are compensated $10 an hour, Chief Wesley Cannon said.
For the full article, to to the Sun News story at:
http://www.macon.com/197/story/619299.html
