Auxiliary Police Officers Job Description
Across the country, in departments big and small, auxiliary police officers provide valuable service to their community. Providing uniformed assistance to their local department, they are often tasked with difficult, trying, and sometimes dangerous assignments. Usually they are unpaid volunteers from all careers and walks of life who provide this service out of a sense of civic duty.
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Considerations
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Every police department or sheriff’s office that utilizes auxiliary police officers does so in a way that conforms to its policy. Therefore, the functions of an auxiliary officer largely depend on where you volunteer or provide your service. For example, the New York City Police Department does not provide auxiliary officers with a firearm, nor do they have a police officer’s arrest powers, but the Williamsburg, Virginia Police Department does. Clearly, officers in each locale will fill their roles differently.
Patrol
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Whether in a vehicle or on foot, patrolmen provide an essential element of policing. Auxiliary officers help maximize their effort and keep the community safe. If armed, auxiliary officers will often pair with a regular police officer and provide backup, and an extra set of eyes and ears in the performance of the regular officer’s duties. Sometimes auxiliary officers will even patrol an area on their own. If they don’t have a firearm or arrest powers, auxiliary officers may still patrol, equipped with a radio, to report suspicious activities in their community.
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Traffic Control
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One of the most common duties of an auxiliary officer is manning a traffic detail. Many scenarios apply. Most commonly though, auxiliary officers are called upon to direct traffic for certain events or occurrences. For example, auxiliary officers provide traffic control for parades (or other planned events), intersections with broken traffic lights, accident scenes, water main breaks and the like.
Special Assignments
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Auxiliary police officers are also used for countless special assignments. They may be summoned to assist in missing person searches, or to help canvass a neighborhood (interviewing residents and shopkeepers in the area at a particular time of day) after a particular crime or crime spree. Auxiliary officers may also be tasked to locate new graffiti, or even assist in crowd control during large events or civil disturbances. They may be translators called to a crime or accident scene, or possibly assigned to a specific detail in the jail. Auxiliary officers could be called on to assist in almost any situation in which normal manpower may not be enough.
Administrative Assignments
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An auxiliary police officer may be best suited to work behind the scenes or in a support or administrative capacity. Though not always on the front line, these auxiliary officers provide services that are just as vital. For example, a volunteer might have good standing and contacts in the business community, and therefore may be able to best help the department in fund-raising or public service announcements. Or perhaps an auxiliary officer might best contribute in an area of expertise like computer programming, car maintenance or accounting.
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References
- Photo Credit street cop image by Aaron Kohr from Fotolia.com
