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. Winnebago Blues D oes your departwhen faced with times ment own like these. and staff a The commobile mand center comin my jurismand center of some diction is a type? As some of joint operayou know personnel tional effort costs are generally for our greater than 90-perpolice, fire cent of any departand sheriff’s ment’s budget. Even at departments that we don’t generally and was put to take into account those unthe test in late foreseeable long term situ2005 in the afToday’s lesson is about sharing … This command post serves three of our ations where personnel are county’s agencies — police, fire and sheriff’s. It was purchased through a grant termath of hurneeded on extended opera- and no one agency has all the responsibility. It makes this a win-win situation. ricanes Katrina tions, for sometimes days and Rita when it on end, at homicide scenes, missing persons, SWAT operations, was called to go to the gulf coast to assist in the relief effort. I etc. The overtime costs for these operations can be astronomical. was fortunate to be a part of that deployment and continue to In these tight economic times a little creativity may be needed to staff the unit, by virtue of being retired from the Fire Departhelp stretch those budget dollars. One way we can do that is by be- ment and through my auxiliary police position. Fire personnel ing creative in staffing these operations. Those who have a reserve primarily staff the command post, but because it’s used more or auxiliary component and a mobile command center of some in police operations we occasionally use auxiliary personnel type have most of the pieces in place to cut down overtime costs to augment various positions. If a police department had more responsibility in staffing the command post, an auxiliary unit would be a great way to supplement staffing. ou don’t have a mobile command center? What about some of your neighboring cities or counties? Our mobile command center was purchased for multiple users through a Department of Justice grant in 2005. Check around your area, you may be able to scrounge a “retired” delivery van or ambulance, or maybe an RV dealership has something to donate “to the cause.” Y We Want one too Command posts can really go a long way in keeping your personnel warm and dry in bad weather or giving your command staff a place to go, away from the media and public to think and make sound decisions. Depending on what your department can afford, a little ingenuity can go a long way. Using your reserve officers to augment your personnel in operations such as these can be an invaluable resource. What can they do? Here are a few ideas. Your needs may vary and you may have additional duties your people can do. Incident Documentation (Scribe) Command Post Security Canvassing L E presence in search teams Resource tracking Staging Officer Manning the phones Keeping the coffee pot full to stay on the street answering calls. As you know the world doesn’t stop just because you have a major incident going on. Be creative and maybe even offer additional training in this discipline so they can be better prepared to assist you when needed. There is nothing wrong with having a trained “team” available at your disposal for times like these. I can assure you; most volunteer members are dedicated and would jump at the chance to do something like this and many will seek this additional training on their own at no cost to you. Smart Staffing Keep in mind when you’re tackling this, most reserve officers are volunteers and some still have an obligation of putting bread on the table. Never forget this when you’re trying to augment your staffing. Most of we volunteers really enjoy doing things where we can truly be utilized and can see our efforts make a difference. Many agencies have this tremendous resource available and are crazy to not use it more often. Specialty built rigs like this can be very expensive, but with grants or private donations, don’t let that scare you away. All of these jobs are fairly simple and with just a little common sense and training almost anyone (even an idiot like me) can do them. Assigning some of these jobs to a trained reserve officer will help free up your regular guys * 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 • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009