Sheriff’s Office Works With Volunteers
Posted By J.T. on May 4, 2010
Press release from Cass County -
There’s a new group of volunteers in Cass County, which has banded together under the leadership of the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Diehl has established a Sheriff’s Auxiliary program that is designed to supplement the regular activities performed by his organization. This will allow the Sheriff to increase the level of service provided to the community by his Office in a way that does not ask the taxpayers for additional funding.
The Auxiliary is made up of Volunteers from the community, who have completed the Sheriff’s Citizen Academy and wish to donate their time and skills to help extend the good work performed in the Sheriff’s Office. During periods of normal activity, this will allow our Deputies and the Sheriff’s civilian employees to focus more of their time on activities that take advantage of their talents and training. When unexpected events occur, such as a severe storm or an extended crime scene investigation, the Sheriff will be able to call upon the volunteers to fill the sudden and short term need for extra help. Volunteers will do tasks that do not need to be performed by Deputies. This will free up the Deputies and allow them to devote more time to law enforcement activities.
Sheriff Diehl commented “I consider every volunteer to be an important member of the Sheriff’s Office. Every hour they contribute to making their community a better place to live is time well spent.”
In addition to the requirement of having completed the Sheriff’s Citizen Academy, the Auxiliary Volunteers must pass a thorough background check and are held to the same high standards of conduct that are expected by the Sheriff from every person representing the Sheriff’s Office. It is important to note that the Volunteers will compliment and extend the work performed in the Sheriff’s Office and will not be a substitute for the Deputies or the civilian employees in any way.
Of the 50 people who have already completed the Sheriff’s Citizen Academy and are eligible, 44 applied for membership in the Volunteer Auxiliary. There is a wide range of backgrounds and ages represented in the group, and each person brings a unique set of abilities to offer to the community. The Auxiliary Volunteers receive additional ongoing instruction at monthly meetings, taking advantage of the training facilities that are in place at the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.
As our community grows and the County budget shrinks, all of our public service offices are continuously challenged to do more with less and this is an innovative way to increase service to the public without placing an additional burden on the taxpayers.
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