NORCO - The word is out about the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's little-known crime-fighting weapon.

The Norco Citizens Patrol, the most active volunteer unit in the county, was honored with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Unit Citation Award this week for outstanding service.

The 10-year-old group of 47 uniformed volunteers patrols the streets of Norco every day, doing disaster and crime-scene traffic control, vacation checks and daily welfare checks on vulnerable senior citizens. Each of the volunteers, who range from 19 to 75 years old, averages 218 hours a year. Last year one observant volunteer helped catch a hit-and-run driver and another filled up a cooler from a backyard swimming pool to help protect homes from a wildfire.

"They're no longer just useful, they've become a downright necessity to us," said sheriff's Sgt. Mike Judge. "They even get called out to other cities when there are emergency situations like a truck spill in Mira Loma last week."

Last year, the volunteer patrol saved the city about $84,000, Norco officials calculated.

With 10,231 volunteer hours for 2004, Norco's small patrol unit worked more hours than regional volunteer units three times as big as Norco's, said Sandy Reiley, a longtime volunteer and patrol board member.

Some volunteers work more than 30 hours a week, she said.

"It's fun," said her husband and fellow volunteer, Pat Reiley. "You get to know all about your city, and sometimes people feel more comfortable talking to us when they see something suspicious. People are always flagging us down while we're on patrol."

One of the most active volunteers is the group's oldest. Darleen Williamson, 75, organizes daily welfare checks on Norco seniors and recently worked crime scene control at a suspected suicide until 2 a.m. before getting up early in the morning to help deliver food to needy seniors.

"Once it gets in your blood, you're hooked," Sandy Reiley said.