Los Angeles Police Department
Specialist Volunteer -- What's that?
My "career" with the Los Angeles Police Department started in 1987 with the volunter surveillance group called "Van Nuys Hamwatch." Hamwatch consisted of a group (over 50) Amateur Radio operators that volunteered their time to sit on rooftops in high crime areas and "watch interesting people do terrible things to themselves and each other." A regular LAPD offer would sit nearly in a patrol car and when we saw a crime occur, the officer would be, literally, seconds away. The short story: After about twelve years, the dedicated officer-in-charge changed assignments and Van Nuys Hamwatch was disbanded.
After Hamwatch, I worked with IBARS, the Immediate Booking and Release System. IBARS was a mobile command post and booking facility. Volunteers and reservists booked suspects, including fingerprinting, "mug shot" photos, searches and property inventory. While in IBARS, I was invited to become a Specialist Reserve Officer. A Specialist is not a police officer, but a civilian volunteer with talent that can be utilized by the department. We don't get a badge or a firearm, but we do get an ID card and get to see police work first-hand. Our title eventually changed from Specialist Reserve to Specialist Volunteer.
I now serve with Valley Traffic Division using my Child Passenger Safety certification at car seat checks, technician training classes, and activities.