One of the successful initiatives that Jarrod Hart anticipated bringing with him as our new Chief of Saline Police Department (SPD) was a program called “Volunteers in Public Safety.” Better known there as “VIPS” (pronounced as a word), its mission is to “Observe, Report and Educate.” [1,2]
VIPS team members will enhance the safety of the Saline community by observing and reporting incidents requiring a public safety response. Team members will also have the opportunity to enhance the level of safety in the community by educating citizens in crime prevention and safety topics.
Volunteers in Public Safety is a proven program benefitting the City of Novi, where Chief Hart served immediately prior to being recruited as our current SPD lead. Those with a keen eye will have noted references to progress on its rollout here during the last two of his quarterly reports before City Council. [3,4]
Over three dozen attendees at the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce (SACC) were treated to a sneak peak at the new uniforms and a “teaser” introduction during its first Building Business Relationships networking breakfast this past Tuesday. There, one of the pilot group members spoke about the benefits it portends for our local businesses. She also revealed that VIPS is now open to accepting applications for new volunteers. [5,6]
“As a long-time business owner myself, the last few months training and then going out on ‘patrols’ have been incredibly valuable to me as a store owner,” she began.
“I’ve gotten to know how the Police Department works in terms of the security of my building. I’ve gotten to know what I can do to help myself, what they can do and what I can do to improve problems with following rules for parking so that employees and my customers can get to where my business is.
“Just being out there helps make the Police Department more visible and more accessible. And that makes all of us safer.”
After the meeting, SACC Executive Director John Olsen told Saline Journal that he’d been following progress on the Saline VIPS initiative from the beginning. “I’m glad they’re ready to start promoting this. It’s exactly what the community has needed. I’m looking forward to having someone from the Police Department come and make a presentation on this at a Chamber Breakfast before the big holiday season.”
Typical VIPS activities include:
- High visibility, non-confrontational patrol
- Handicap parking enforcement
- Home watch checks
- Educating the public on safety and crime prevention topics
- Directing residents to the appropriate Saline staff for specific problems
VIPS applicants must pass a criminal background check that includes fingerprinting. They are then trained in both classroom-type settings at the Police Station, as well as out in actual patrol scenarios. Confidentiality is strictly emphasized and volunteers are expected to be familiar with the laws that govern their activities.
Saline Police Chief Jerrod Hart summarized VIPS to Saline Journal as follows.
The Volunteers In Public Safety program draws on the strong commitment to volunteerism and support for public safety the Saline community is known for.
VIPS volunteers play a key role in enforcing handicap and parking laws, conducting special property checks and serving as ambassadors to our wonderful community. Additionally, VIPS volunteers network with sworn police officers and serve as a visibility multiplier for our agency, driving around our community in a marked VIPS vehicle with constant radio contact with our dispatchers.
We hope more members of this community will consider joining our valuable VIPS team, its a great way to give back.
Following on this, the newly marked VIPS patrol vehicle will be premiered at the 2018 Oktoberfest in downtown Saline this weekend. At various times during the event, VIPS team members and SPD officers will be available to help increase program visibility, answer questions — and provide information for prospective volunteers.
References
- “Police Department” City of Saline.
- “Volunteers in Public Safety (VIPS)” City of Novi.
- “Keeping An Eye On Novi” (Summer 2017) Novi Today.
- “City of Saline Departments and Elected Officials: Saline City Council” Saline.
- Saline Chamber (home page).
- “Building Business Relationships Breakfast” Saline Area Chamber of Commerce.
