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Woodbury reserve volunteers describe duties, training and community outreach
Summary
Volunteers in Woodbury’s police reserve program described motivations for joining, non-emergency duties such as park patrols and transporting people to jail, the program’s vetting and training process, and a minimum one-shift-per-month commitment.
Several volunteers and program staff described the Woodbury Police Department’s reserve program, explaining why people join and what the role requires. "I've always felt like I wanted to volunteer to help the community," said Volunteer, who said they have been doing reserve work for a few years and enjoy it. A longtime participant said the program saved them from staying on the sidelines: "I've been with the program almost 15 years," the Longtime volunteer said, and described being recruited after a critical incident in Woodbury.
Program staff described the reserves' operational duties and vetting. "We work side by side with law enforcement officers. We go out on shifts and we take non-emergency calls for service," the Staff member said, noting reserves also "help patrol parks" and sometimes "transport people to jail." Staff described the selection process as similar to a job application: candidates undergo an interview, a background check and a psychological evaluation, then attend a weekend academy covering protocols, defensive tactics and equipment.
Volunteers also described outreach work such as bike-patrols. "Both Javier and I are on the bike patrol team," a Volunteer (bike patrol) said, adding that reserves ride in parks during the summer, meet children and hand out stickers to build positive relationships representing the department. Staff emphasized training beyond classroom time: new reserves complete reality-based scenarios and field training shifts with a field training officer until they are judged competent.
On rules and commitment, staff said the program is open to adults: "It's 18 years of age and up," the Staff member said, and the minimum expectation is one shift a month, typically a Friday or Saturday night, plus a monthly reserve meeting. Members said additional hours are optional and that volunteers "get out of the program what they put into it," expressing pride in supporting officers and helping community members during difficult moments. One speaker recalled returning from a shift at "3:00, 4:00 in the morning" and feeling they had made a difference.
There were no formal motions or votes recorded in the transcript; the discussion consisted of personal testimony from volunteers and factual descriptions of program requirements and training.
