The Lathrop Police Department is currently looking for volunteers to handle several important tasks essential to keeping the standalone agency operating efficiently.
According to the agency, volunteers are being sought to assist at the front counter of the police department, to help with administrative services, to conduct vacation checks and direct traffic, to assist with events, and to help manage the department’s fleet of vehicles.
Agencies throughout the area routinely use volunteers to handle the daily tasks that would otherwise be delegated to law enforcement officers – freeing them up to handle calls and other pressing matters. The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office had previously used volunteers from the S.T.A.R.S. program – the sheriff’s team of active and retired seniors – to perform some of these tasks in Lathrop.
Earlier this year the City of Lathrop made the transition to its own police department for the first time in the city’s history – formally ending a partnership of more than three decades with the sheriff’s office to provide law enforcement services to Lathrop residents. While the new Lathrop Police Department was ready to meet the needs of Lathrop residents on the first day that they assumed the role, ancillary duties like the volunteer program have taken longer to put together.
While the city had a brand new building for the agency to move into at the time that they assumed law enforcement duties for the community, things like dispatch and evidence storage have been contacted for with the Ripon Police Department – Ripon also handles the dispatch calls for the City of Escalon – while neighboring agencies like Manteca have provided the use of K9 teams when necessary while Lathrop gets theirs up and running.
Those interested in applying are encouraged to email pdvolunteer@ci.lathrop.ca.us. For additional information visit the Lathrop Police Department’s website at www.ci.lathrop.ca.us/police.
To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
