Paula Romero is the newest volunteer that has donned the SHARP uniform.

That means Manteca is a step closer to enjoying the level of assistance the unit provided the city prior to the pandemic.

As the SHARP unit adds volunteers:

*More frontline police personnel will be freed up from having to direct traffic or at major accidents or secure crime scene perimeters.

*Patrols of neighborhoods and commercial areas will increase.

*The Manteca Police Department’s effort to tackle everything from graffiti and discarded shopping carts will be more effective and happen quicker.

“With more volunteers we’d be able to resume community patrols that help serve as the eyes and ears for police officers,” noted SHARP Captain Richard Silverman.

Romero was administered her oath earlier this month by City Manager Toni Lundgren as her father Darryl Black looked on.

Black has been a SHARP since 2009.

They are the first father-daughter duo for SHARP.

At the swearing in ceremony, Michael Gonzales was acknowledge as the second quarter recipient of the new Captain’s Award honoring volunteers that are providing outstanding service to the community.

The award is named In honor the late Jack Snyder who was the founder and first captain of the SHARP unit.

 Silverman noted the volunteer group that operates under the wings of the Manteca Police Department is actively recruiting.

SHARP will have a booth at the Pumpkin Fair and are showing off the department’s 1947 Chevy patrol car at many local car shows.

With as little as four hours a week you can:

*Free up highly trained police officers from being tied up with traffic control and crime scene preservation duties at major incidents for hours at a time.

*Help Manteca stay on top of graffiti eradication and reduce the time it lingers.

*Help the city take steps needed to retrieve abandoned vehicles.

*Make sure shopping carts don’t litter neighborhoods and streets.

*Serve as extra eyes for the police in school zones, commercial areas, and neighborhoods.

*Work to remove basketball hoops set up in streets where they create traffic and safety hazards.

In 2019 prior to the pandemic, they had almost 60 volunteers that devoted 10,300 hours to serving the community.

Since its inception on Sept. 3, 1991 the official name has been Seniors Helping Area Residents and Police. Today, based on its membership, it is really Serving & Helping Area Residents and Police given the minimum age to join is 40.

It requires being able to devote a minimum of four hours a week. Those four hours  are at the convenience of the volunteer.

The city will provide the uniform.

 Information about joining the SHARP unit is available on the city’s website on the police department page or by calling 209-456-8240.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com