Citizens on Patrol Program Announced

********** For Immediate Release **********

Incident:  Citizens on Patrol Program
Date:  June 06, 2016
Location:  Dunwoody Police Department

Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan has announced the addition of the Citizens on Patrol program, which is designed to allow Dunwoody citizens to assist law enforcement personnel by being an extra set of eyes and ears throughout the city.  These volunteers can immediately 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.

The Citizens on Patrol program derived its roots from the concept of Community Policing and was first implemented in San Jose, California. Law enforcement agencies who have implemented the program have seen a reduction of complaints affecting quality of life, as well as a reduction of criminal activity within their communities. There has also been an enhanced understanding of, and a cooperative relationship between, the public and law enforcement within communities involved with Citizens on Patrol programs.

Citizen volunteers who wish to participate in the Citizens on Patrol program must be graduates of the Dunwoody Police Department’s Citizens’ Police Academy.  Volunteer candidates will go through a background and driving history check and, upon acceptance into the program, 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.

In discussing the program, Chief Grogan stated, “Due to the overwhelming success of the Citizens on Patrol program in neighboring jurisdictions, we are implementing the program here in Dunwoody.  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.”

An informational session will be held on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 from 7:00pm to 8:00pm in the Dunwoody Police Department’s roll call room.  All current graduates of the Citizens’ Police Academy are invited to attend.

For more information, contact the Dunwoody Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit via telephone at (678) 382-6917 or via Email at communityoutreach@dunwoodyga.gov.

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