Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. RESERVES PERRY W. HORNBARGER dEdICATION ANd PROfESSIONALISM THAT GOES BEYONd PAY. ave you ever been asked, “Why do you volunteer to be a cop?” My guess is — hundreds of times. Quite frankly, I’m not smart enough How about a nice, to come up with a definitive answer, steaming cup of but maybe you can. thank you. I’ll issue a challenge here. One obvious reason is the excitement, but any other reason really depends upon your attitude. How’s Your Attitude? H Another cop asked me the same question years ago and the best answer I could come up with related to my attitude. I told him I had the best of both worlds — I could come out and play, but if I got a bad attitude out there I could hang up my uniform for a week or two until my attitude changed. Unfortunately, he had to go back to work the next day. Now I’ll be the first to admit I’ve had plenty of those days when I’ve hung up my uniform for a while because I needed an attitude adjustment. Aside from leaving for a few days, A small breast pin set may be all it takes to say “thank you” to your reserves. They’re doing that same dangerous job you’re doing — for free. how can we prevent that bad attitude from rearing its ugly head? What can administrators do to help prevent it? big, hefty 15-percent pay raise would be nice — let’s see, 15-percent of nothing is still nothing. Forget that idea. I’ll go out on a limb here and say no matter who you are or what you do, you need to get the “warm fuzzies” once in a while in your job — like you're making a positive difference in the organization. A little “thank you” from the occupants in the ivory tower can go a long way. You know what I’m talking about — a look you in the eyes and a firm handshake, “thank you.” The feeling of being appreciated can move someone’s self-esteem needle up a notch or two if they feel it was truly heartfelt. Something else that can accomplish the same thing is to present a small and inexpensive trinket occasionally. It may sound ridiculous, but what I mean by trinket is something like a department coffee mug, a department challenge coin, or some other show of appreciation. At the request of one of my chiefs, I once asked the members of my unit what the department could do for them to show their appreciation —cost was, of course, a factor. I removed all the supervisors from the room and left just the officers to make a list. They gave me a list of over 100 things of insignificant A what Can Be Done? Here’s a small sampling of goodies you should have on hand to let your reserves know they’re appreciated. You can’t afford to have their free labor dry up and blow away. Cheap Bastards value, but something they said would be appreciated. I can relate because when I was working my regular job before retirement I was known as the “trinket-meister.” I kept a locker chock-full of department t-shirts, hats, belt buckles, lapel pins and other assorted stuff for the boss to pass out as he saw fit. truly proud to be the first kids on the block with the new toys. This is certainly not a revelation to anyone, but in today’s economy we all need to do more with less. Recruiting, utilizing and retaining volunteers — it may not be the answer, but it can sure be one a saving grace of your department’s budget. Thinking outside the box can generate some great ideas, which can save money, increase productivity and keep your people smiling while they’re doing it. It’s okay to throw us a bone every now and then, too. O rganization leaders can affect a person’s attitude and morale tremendously — especially when dealing with volunteers. They can help to promote a positive attitude for the members or they can destroy it. Many times I’ve seen it destroyed by well-meaning administrators who’ve never volunteered for anything and don’t know what motivates a volunteer. They’re trained and conditioned to deal with employees who depend on this for a living and their mindset may be on things that don’t concern volunteers. An example of a low/no-cost way of boosting a volunteer’s attitude and morale was when our department issued the justpurchased ASP batons to all members. We had a scheduled training session for a baton refresher class and the department had just taken delivery of the new batons. The defensive tactics instructors and lesson plans were in place. The training officer made a decision to have us reserves trained on the new ASP rather than the old baton — it didn’t cost the department anything extra. In fact, it actually saved money and boosted the morale of my guys. They were * Perry W. Hornbarger is the Unit Commander of the Chesterfield, VA Auxiliary Police Unit. He can be reached at hornbargerp@yahoo.com. 28 WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • JULY/AUGUST 2009