VIPS in Action
Police Volunteers receive training in many areas including; crime prevention, CPR and first aid, police records processing, traffic control and patrol procedures. Volunteers are provided with an orientation program to acquaint them with the department, personnel, policies, and procedures that will have direct impact on their work assignment. Volunteers do not take enforcement action, carry weapons, or make arrests.
Communications
The front counter is staffed by VIPS from 10:00am to 2:00pm Monday, Friday and 9:00am to 4:00pm Tuesday- Thursday. VIPS working in the Communication Unit are skilled at assisting citizens with their counter requests. A typical request is for a copy of an incident and/or accident report, asking an officer for advice regarding handling a problem with a neighbor or family member, reporting an incident or crime, or Live Scans for background checks.
The VIPS now handle many of the counter requests, while other more complicated requests continue to be taken to the dispatchers for assistance. This evolving expertise has directly benefited the dispatchers and has allowed them to fully concentrate on incoming emergency calls and radio traffic.
Counter Requests, Electronic Case Filing, and Live Scan
Volunteers also scan historical police reports into an electronic database. Case files are updated daily as supplemental documents are generated. This program benefits the officers and staff, who are now able to access the case files from the electronic database rather than pulling the archived hard copy case file from a remote storage area.
Live Scan technology has almost completely superseded the old ink fingerprint cards. Currently, two VIPS have been trained to process the ever-increasing requests for Live Scan services. Live scans are scheduled by appointment. Employers and others who require a Live Scan can make an appointment by calling (530) 872-6161 x 226. For costs associated with the Live Scans please refer to the Master Fee Schedule.
Patrol
The Patrol Unit conducts daily patrol shifts. Their patrol vehicles can be seen in the Paradise community performing vacation house checks, cruising Neighborhood Watch areas, and driving through mobile home parks. They assist the police with traffic control at accidents, look for missing persons, and complete extra patrols as requested. They are viewed as an extra sets of eyes and ears by the police officers.
Patrol is also responsible for updating businesses emergency contact information. This information helps with officer safety, and ease of dispatch duties especially when responding to reports of crimes in progress to these businesses after hours.
The RADAR trailer is deployed by the VIPS at pre-determined places and times within the town limits. It displays the speed a vehicle is traveling, often surprising busy passing motorists who forget the speed limit.
VIPS are trained to recognize handicapped parking violations according to California vehicle codes. They place notifications under the windshield wiper of a vehicle that they have observed parked in spaces reserved for residents with disabilities which are not displaying a placard or license plate endorsement.
Traffic and Disaster Unit
The Traffic and Disaster Unit has the primary function of providing the Paradise Police Department with on-call traffic control. They are trained to create ingress and egress for ambulances, and maintain traffic flow by taking control of the traffic at traffic accidents, fires, downed trees and downed power lines.
Although much of their equipment is provided by the police department, members use their personal vehicles equipped with lights to use while conducting traffic control. They are prepared to spend hours on an emergency if necessary, and sometimes harsh weather conditions.
