Citizen cops: Police Volunteer Program Sees Growing Participation, Duties.

Feb. 22--Fellow citizens, dressed in khakis and polo shirts, soon could be writing tickets in downtown Paducah for those who abuse the two-hour time limit for parking.Police hope the use of volunteers for parking enforcement frees up officers to investigate higher-priority crimes while alleviating some serious parking concerns, mainly on Broadway.

Eventually, the department may further utilize the public's help by assigning volunteers other duties usually reserved for uniformed officers.The program is called VIPS -- Volunteers in Police Service -- and it began being utilized by police nationally as a Homeland Security initiative after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.In Paducah, the extent to which it's been used has been putting volunteers into the Kentucky Oaks Mall during the holidays and having them assist in managing traffic during large downtown activities, such as the warm weather weekly Downtown After Dinner program.Sgt. J.P. Roberts is in charge of Paducah's Citizen's Police Academy (CPA), an 11-week training course that feeds the VIPS program with its graduates. VIPS is slowly growing and consists of 85 people now. Members meet once a month and, until now, have held minor roles such as setting up traffic barricades and monitoring large crowds for problems.Roberts said VIPS members could be carrying citation books and walking the streets as early as April 1.Last week, during a Paducah Main Street merchants meeting, Director Carol Gault distributed a letter from Police Chief Randy Bratton. It mentions the VIPS program and the placement of Roberts into permanent site in a downtown building, where he can monitor the area and all VIPS members.

An officer previously was assigned to downtown beat, but because of department turnover, that position was needed elsewhere. Roberts said he went back to street patrols after his first stint in the office, located next to the Columbia and Arcade theaters.He started moving back in last week and finished unpacking Tuesday.His first order of business will be getting to know the merchants and to find out what their concerns are.For merchants such as Lisa Dunn, owner of Trendy Repeats, parking is one of her biggest problems. Despite the city's actions last year, when it raised parking ticket fines from $5 to $25, she says the problem hasn't gotten any better because no one was downtown to enforce the law.She is both hopeful and skeptical about civilians writing tickets. Her father is a retired St. Louis policeman, and she said he raised good points about safety."A lot of times, when you give people a ticket, they get upset," she said. "What if they get beat up. ... Is the city going to take responsibility for that? "I'm anxious to see how it's going to work out. ... You've got private citizens doing" police work, and safety is an issue.Roberts said the citizens won't be armed. They will, however, carry radios and will be encouraged to call police if people become confrontational or even if a person cited needs further explanation as to why he or she is receiving a ticket."Most people may not take a ticket from a VIPS as serious as they would from a police officer," Dunn said. "Maybe bringing back the meter maids would be a better option."Roberts said the citizens have been and will be trained in avoiding confrontational situations. He also noted that their efforts are voluntary, and the city won't have to pay like it used to when a parking officer worked downtown alone."They aren't the parking ticket Nazis," Roberts said. "Parking is a serious problem."According to a VIPS training tape, some cities utilize the volunteers much more extensively. They even rely on them for assistance in computer programing or animal control.

"Right now, for us, it's baby steps," Roberts said. "Having them out there is huge. ... Would I like to do some of the other things? You betcha."They should even help when tourism picks up, particularly in the summer, when out-of-towners are looking for someone to help them find their way.Filling the program will be done through word of mouth and by promoting the CPA course, Roberts said."It's a strong volunteer organization that's ready to help the police department," he said. "We could probably eliminate a lot of crime if more people got involved." It was an interest in her community and curiosity about police that got Maredith Morris involved. She took the CPA course more than two years ago, the fourth time it had been offered. Roberts is about to start the ninth session. Now, Morris is president of the CPA Alumni Association, and she helps direct people downtown during summer festivals or activities such as Barbecue on the River."If you go through the CPA class, you see what the (officers) go through," she said. "I have a whole new respect for the police department."

Morris said the VIPS program is simply "a work in progress." She echoed Roberts' comments about freeing up police for more pressing work such as investigations."It gives us an opportunity to help the police department," she said.For more information about the CPA or VIPS programs, contact the police department at 444-8548.