The Dunwoody Police Department is beginning a new Citizen on Patrol program that will be open to graduates of the city’s Citizens’ Police Academy.
An information session for the new program is set for June 21 from 7-8 p.m. at the police department.
“Due to the overwhelming success of the Citizens on Patrol program in neighboring jurisdictions, we are implementing the program here in Dunwoody,” said Chief Billy Grogan in a statement.
“Each volunteer patrol on the streets will increase both community safety and department effectiveness by adding more eyes and ears on the road, and by freeing up sworn police officers to complete other critical tasks. This will help to ensure the city of Dunwoody remains a safe place in which to live and work,” he said.
Volunteers enrolled in the program can report suspicious activity, potential hazards and even crimes in progress to the Dunwoody Police Department. They will also perform other non-enforcement actions, such as residential checks for residents who are on vacation.
Volunteer candidates will go through a background and driving history check and once accepted into the program will be required to attend mandatory training on how to identify activities that would require law enforcement intervention, such as criminal activity, suspicious activity or public nuisance hazards. Training will also include blocks of instruction on CPR and First Aid, traffic direction, incident de-escalation, and other pertinent topics.
The Dunwoody Police Department will supply Citizens on Patrol volunteers with a uniform consisting of khaki pants and a polo shirt, which will prevent volunteers being confused with law enforcement officers. The Department will also provide a white Ford Crown Victoria that will be marked “Citizen Patrol,” which is different from the silver Chevrolet Tahoes currently being driven by its sworn law enforcement officers.
For more information, contact the Dunwoody Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit via telephone at 678-382-6917 or email at communityoutreach@dunwoodyga.gov.