Bob Ball is a real estate investor in Portland, Ore. — but that's just his day job. For the last 20 years, he's also been a volunteer cop.
"When I was new, it was the best time of my life. I got to go out there and wear a white hat and help people and make a difference in my community, one little piece at a time," Ball says. "That's a very, very fulfilling thing to do."
This is real police work: On one occasion, Ball had to pull his gun on a guy threatening a woman with a knife.
"He ended up dropping the knife and I didn't shoot," he says. "Time sort of slows down a little bit, too, when you get adrenaline, and in my case I saw his eyes get afraid."
Not shooting that guy earned Ball a medal for valor. But police reserve programs vary a lot. Some departments restrict their volunteers' duties to things like handling crowds, while others let reservists go on patrol and make arrests.
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7 comments:
We have volunteer firemen, why can't we have volunteer cops?? Its the same thing, only the volunteers are doing it for their community, not for a pay check.
Because our shore billies volunteer cops would just shoot up everyone. Most people here don't have common sense. Look what they've allowed to happen to our community the past twenty years. Hell most our regular cops don't have common sense or make sense for that matter.
John Baker said...
We have volunteer firemen, why can't we have volunteer cops?? Its the same thing, only the volunteers are doing it for their community, not for a pay check.
April 23, 2015 at 9:55 PM
Excellent point John. This is exactly what they should be doing in the Salisbury Police Department and the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office. The majority of their budgets go towards salaries. This is long overdue and I think the County and City Councils should pass legislation to make fully credited volunteer police officers.
I am a professional and I would do it.
I don't see why volunteers would do any worse than the "professionals" we see in the news on a daily basis.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
I don't see why volunteers would do any worse than the "professionals" we see in the news on a daily basis.
April 24, 2015 at 10:12 AM
Volunteers do it for the love of the job, not the pay check.
11:23.....that's a crock.
The crap that cops and firefighters have to put up with (and go through) makes me think (and I know a few of each) that they DO the job because they love it.
12:34 There is already a "ride along" program in place. Has been for some time.
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