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The Hi-Desert Star's Opinion:
They've got our world in their handsA
Tribute to Citizen Patrol Volunteer, Mr. Roy Vest and all Citizen
Patrol Volunteers who serve their communities.
The following
article was printed on July 7, 2004 in the Hi-Desert Star Newspaper
located north of Los Angeles in the County of San Bernardino,
California
You see them
everywhere: Diverting traffic around traffic accidents and fires;
directing vehicles to parking lots and detours during special
events; talking to children, passing out information and keeping an
eye on things at the Yucca Valley concerts in the park;
fingerprinting youngsters; ensuring that parking places marked for
handicapped people aren't abused by unauthorized drivers.
They are the
members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Citizens
on Patrol. Most of us just call them the citizen patrol, and the
name suits them. They are citizens who have stepped forward to say
they will take responsibility for the safety of their communities.
They will make sure our children's fingerprints and distinguishing
marks are recorded, so that in the awful event that a child is
kidnapped, the sheriff's department immediately will have a proper
description.
If a business
has had frequent break-in attempts or a person has gone on vacation,
the Citizens on Patrol will take special care to drive through the
neighborhood several times a night. Not only will they be there to
report any suspicious activity, but criminals are often discouraged
by the mere presence of an official vehicle with emergency lights,
driven by officers who are in constant radio contact with the
police.
At the fires
that recently ignited in Yucca Valley, (Southern California) citizen
patrol officers rode to the scene to divert vehicles, allowing
firefighters to do their jobs without having to worry about a
traffic jam or distracted drivers making matters worse. Any time you
have approached a traffic accident on one of our highways or major
roads, you almost certainly saw the uniformed members of the citizen
patrol, preventing another crash and directing vehicles around the
rescue workers, allowing them to concentrate on saving a victim's
life or investigating the cause of the collision. And at most
special events like Grubstake Days, Turtle Days or Founders Days, it
is the citizen patrol officers who stand in the highway, showing
people the way to detours and parking.
One of the
officers you may have seen working with the citizen patrol was Roy
Vest. He was particularly noticeable because he sometimes had to
carry an oxygen tank with him. He was in his late 70s, and he wasn't
as strong or healthy as he once was, but you'd still see him out on
his patrol, along with his partner and wife, Lynne Vest. Mr. Vest
died in late June at the age of 77. A lot of people knew and loved
him, but even more people walking around today were helped by Mr.
Vest at one time or another, without even knowing who he was. He
never got any money for his work, because like all citizen patrol
members, he was a volunteer. But he loved his patrol work, loved
what it allowed him to do for his community.
When they were
asked to name a favorite memory or accomplishment, the Vests would
recall the time they found a boy who was deaf and mute and had
wandered from home. Citizen patrol volunteers manned the search for
the child, and the Vests found him.
It's a simple
story, but it's one that tells the larger tale of what the Citizens
on Patrol volunteers do every day: Simple things that make a world
of difference to the people whose lives they touch.
Mr. Vest touched a
lot of lives during his nine years on patrol, and we hope we speak
for everyone in the Hi-Desert when we say we salute him proudly, and
thank Mrs. Vest and all the citizen patrol volunteers who watch over
us every day. |
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Click
to view our Press Release regarding President Bush and C.O.P.'s
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Click
here to view the Certificate of Recognition for the NACOP from
Assemblyman Rod Pacheco, Riverside, California
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Click
here to view the article on our July 14, 2001, Conference
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Click
here to view the article on our May 6, 2000, Conference
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| NACOP
Press Release regarding President Bush |
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Arthur Femister, President & Founder
National Association Citizens On Patrol
Phone: 909-898-8551 FAX: 909-279-1915
E-Mail: afemister@nacop.org
Web: www.nacop.org
February 4, 2002
President Bush
recognizes the efforts of Citizens On Patrol, DOJ Responds
(CORONA,
CALIFORNIA)
For over 20 years, a special group of law enforcement volunteers,
commonly known as Citizens On Patrol, have been working to help
keep our communities and nation safe by being their extra
"eyes and ears" assisting local Police and Sheriff's
with non-enforcement duties helping to free up Officers time. Last
week, President Bush, while addressing Senior Corps
Volunteers at the Volusia County Fire Services Training Center in
Daytona Beach, Florida, took time to recognize these dedicated
individuals and groups for their efforts in helping America fight
crime and terrorism.
Speaking to the
crowd, President Bush said, "And there are some fantastic
programs right here in Volusia County that others ought to
recognize, that work. One is Citizens on Patrol." referring
to the Volusia County Sheriffs local C.O.P. group. "More than
200 volunteers put in 51,000 hours in the year 2001, to help serve
as eyes and ears of local law enforcement. If a child is missing,
they help look. If something is odd, they help notice. I don't
know if you remember, but I talked about, digging into those al
Qaeda caves in Afghanistan, we found some of their aspirations, in
terms of creating harm for America. For example, they targeted
some of our cities, or some of our infrastructure. Citizens on
Patrol here in Volusia County patrol the water treatment plants
and water treatment facilities in this county." "So if
people in this part of the world want to help be a part of the
first defense on homeland security -- and that is, help patrol
neighborhoods, or patrol areas, or industrial complexes, to make
sure nothing unusual is happening -- a great program is Citizens
on Patrol, right here in Volusia County." The President went
on to discuss Homeland Security issues and the need for
volunteers.
In a related story, the
Department of Justice announced it will begin to offer, later this
year, information on those wishing to implement their own VIPS,
Volunteers In Police Service, programs. Unlike Citizens On Patrol,
VIPS may also include non-patrol functions such as assisting with
clerical work and other office type duties to help local law
enforcement. "We applaud their efforts" says Arthur
Femister, the President and Founder of the National Association
Citizens On Patrol. "While our non-profit organization, the
first and only one of it's kind in the nation, focuses on the
patrol aspect of law enforcement volunteers, we are delighted to
see the DOJ is recognizing the importance of citizen volunteers in
law enforcement. We hope their actions and multi-million dollar
budget will open the doors to our continued request for Federal
funding, which to date has been denied. We thank President Bush
for recognizing Citizens On Patrol, this can only help us obtained the
much needed Federal funding support which will allow us to
continue and expand our work while serving our nation by assisting
cities with forming their own groups and supporting existing
ones."
Individuals interested in
learning more about the role of Citizens On Patrol, existing
groups in their area or how to start one may do so now by logging
on to the internet at www.nacop.org.
The National
Association Citizens On Patrol is a non-profit, public benefit
corporation, based in Corona, CA. Founded in 1999, the organization
provides support to Citizen Patrol groups and Law Enforcement
Coordinators nationwide. There are an estimated 100,000 Citizen
Patrol Volunteers who patrol their cities in marked vehicles in
uniform acting as additional "Eyes and Ears" for Police
and Sheriffs Departments.
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| The
NACOP receives a Certificate of Recognition |
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January
2000, the National Association Citizens On Patrol receives a Certificate
of Recognition from Assemblyman Rod Pacheco, Riverside, California, on behalf of
the California State Assembly in honor of "Outstanding efforts in
1999" by assisting Law Enforcement and helping to reduce crime".

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