The Foreign Service Journal, May 2016

30 may 2016 | the foreign Service journal Raleigh Police Department volunteers served on the Christmas Parade detail in 2015. Ann Sides is at center foreground. COURTESYOFANNB.SIDES occasions such as New Year’s Eve, a POTUS visit and official ceremonies. Several volunteers are able to interpret foreign languages. Some of my colleagues patrol in specially marked RPD volunteer vehicles connected to the police communica- tion system. They search for missing people and call in traffic accidents, road hazards and erratic drivers. Two of my fellow volunteers rescued a stray toddler they found wandering down the middle of a busy four-lane road; and then they located his frantic mother. Another volunteer spotted a burglary in progress, called it in, observed as much as he could about the suspects and briefed the responding officers before they moved in for the arrest. Some of my colleagues put in long nights helping out at checkpoints set up to combat drunk driving. Being a police volunteer may not be as excit- ing as “NYPD Blue,” but it offers fascinating insights into the collision between law and the human condition that cops—like consular officers—encounter on the job. Being a police volunteer may not be as exciting as “NYPD Blue,” but it offers fascinating insights into the collision between law and the human condition that cops, like consular officers, encounter on the job. The RPD volunteer program now has a spinoff for lovers of the outdoors—the Greenway Volunteers. They patrol the city park system’s paths and trails, helping keep these leafy refuges safe frommuggers, flashers and other pests. Raleigh’s police volunteer program is open to all adults who can pass a background check, not just senior citizens. Right now all 40 slots are filled, and there’s a waiting list. My colleagues include retired and active business executives, realtors, health- care professionals, teachers, office workers, IT specialists, students, veterans and homemakers. At least two others besides me are former federal employees—one is retired from the CIA, and another is an ex-Secret Service agent. Captain Tim Tomzak, who oversees our program, says of the volunteers: “They are more than extra eyes and ears. They provide service excellence to our community, in effect, a force multiplier. They’re a vital part of our police department family.” n