THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 14, 1996 TAG: 9606120100
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 60 lines
A call is out for men and women willing to wear a badge and help keep Chesapeake secure - and free from unnecessary public expense.
The Chesapeake Sheriff's Office is looking for applicants to beef up its Auxiliary Deputy Corps, which enhances the department's ability to provide security in and around the jail and at special community events.
The auxiliary program, formed by Sheriff John R. Newhart soon after he took office nearly 30 years ago, has saved the city hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. In 1995 alone, these volunteers gave the city 20,887 hours and $283,805 of free service.
``These are doctors, construction workers, people from the Navy Yard, every profession,'' said Lt. Joel M. Kirshon, the liaison between the sheriff's office and the corps. ``These are blue-collar and white-collar people who want to put something back into their community.''
Kirshon said the corps averaged 50 members last year and can hold 70 total. There are currently 40 members, 10 individuals in the process of joining and 20 spots the sheriff would like to fill.
Once applicants are accepted into the program, they are placed on a probationary status for a year while they train. Auxiliary members receive the same training as the sheriff's deputies, but what full-time deputies complete in six weeks takes the auxiliary between six to nine months.
``It takes a lot of dedication while auxiliary members are being trained,'' said the lieutenant. ``They're placed on a training team, and they do the same things a deputy does, except they're under the guidance of a state-certified trainer.''
Trainees learn the ropes of crowd control and securing the movement of prisoners in the jail or in the work-release center near the sheriff's office.
When security is needed at special events and festivals, auxiliary deputies are frequently called upon so full-timers can concentrate on their jobs without working the extra hours, said Kirshon.
And the auxiliary helps shoulder the load of serving summonses.
The savings have added up, according to the sheriff's figures.
The auxiliary put in 6,143 hours monitoring traffic at the jail last year, saving $81,473. The city didn't have to spend $18,662 for the 1,438 hours that auxiliary deputies spent handling legal processing in 1995, and the auxiliary provided $45,674 of crowd control and security at community events.
Kirshon said: ``When we hired new people because of the new jail, some came from the corps. We could have spent thousands training new people, but we had people in the corps for five, 10, 15 years that we hired. It eliminated the need to train these people.
``That helps the department financially and the taxpayers when we don't have to train all of these people.''
While the auxiliary has led to jobs for some members, Kirshon said applicants should keep their goals limited to volunteering about 20 hours a week and helping the city's law enforcement team.
``Joining the auxiliary is not the way to get a job with us,'' said Kirshon. ``We're recruiting now for volunteers, not someone who wants to be a deputy in six months.''
Applicants for the auxiliary must be Chesapeake residents, at least 21 and have a high school diploma. Thorough background checks will be made of all applicants, said the sheriff's office.
For more information, contact Kim Dillon at 547-6159. by CNB