Volunteers in Police Service

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is managing and implementing the Volunteers in Police Service Program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice. IACP is the world's oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization of police executives, with more than 19,000 members in about 90 countries. The ultimate goal of VIPS is to enhance the capacity of state and local law enforcement to use volunteers.

The foundation of this national initiative to assist state and local law enforcement agencies is the VIPS web site. The web site serves as a gateway to information for law enforcement agencies and citizens interested in law enforcement volunteer programs. As of April 2004, more than 850 law enforcement volunteer programs, representing more than 59,000 volunteers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, have registered with the VIPS Program. Having expanded this year to include an international component, VIPS also has registered programs from England, New Zealand, and Canada.

The VIPS Program offers the following resources:

• An online directory of existing law enforcement volunteer programs that potential volunteers can search to connect with a program in their community.
  
  
• Volunteer Programs: Enhancing Public Safety by Leveraging Resources, a resource guide to assist in the implementation or enhancement of an agency volunteer program.
  
  
• An online clearinghouse of sample documents and forms, including policies and procedures, liability waiver forms, training materials, and volunteer applications.
  
  
• Technical assistance.
  
  
• VIPS Info, a monthly electronic newsletter.
  
  
• A moderated discussion group for registered VIPS programs to share information and ideas.

National Neighborhood Watch

The Neighborhood Watch Program is a unique infrastructure that brings together local officials, law enforcement officers, and citizens to protect communities. Neighborhood Watch has enhanced its approach from an “extra eyes and ears” strategy to crime prevention to a more comprehensive, community-oriented endeavor. During its more than 30 years in existence, Neighborhood Watch has grown into an effective means of crime control and neighborhood cohesion. Additionally, the advent of community policing in recent years has contributed to a resurgence in Neighborhood Watch groups. Businesses, shopping areas, local infrastructure, and play areas that have high crime rates also benefit from Neighborhood Watch groups.

The Neighborhood Watch Program is administered by the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA). NSA is a 62-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to raising the level of professionalism among those in the criminal justice field, particularly sheriffs, their deputies, and other law enforcement personnel.

NSA’s goals for Neighborhood Watch include expanding the number of watch groups in the nation and enhancing the program’s mission by incorporating terrorism awareness and education and disaster preparedness into its existing crime prevention mission. By the end of 2003, the number of registered Neighborhood Watch programs had doubled. Programs such as VIPS and Community Emergency Response Teams complement a Neighborhood Watch program. In addition to NSA and the Citizen Corps programs, other partners in the Neighborhood Watch Program are the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, IACP, National Association of Town Watch, and National Crime Prevention Council.

Neighborhood Watch outreach programs include the following:

• The 14-member Advisory Committee, which advises NSA on the Neighborhood Watch Expansion Project, provides mentors in the field and “ambassadors” to the public, gives feedback on ideas generated by staff and others, and offers direction for the future.
  
  
• The USAonwatch Mentoring Program, which guides local law enforcement agencies and community-based organizations on starting or revitalizing Neighborhood Watch programs in their communities.
  
  
• The Neighborhood Watch Awards of Excellence Program, which honors stellar Neighborhood Watch programs, law enforcement agencies, community organizations, and others.
  
  
• The Interstate Collaboration Program, which serves as a model to assist states in starting new or revitalizing inactive Neighborhood Watch groups.
  
  
• Cooperative Initiatives for Community Safety, which encourages business leaders to make a commitment to ensure the safety of their communities by creating Corporate Watch programs in their corporate neighborhoods, encouraging employees to start Neighborhood Watch groups in their home neighborhoods, and building alliances with local law enforcement agencies.

The program’s web site was launched to promote Neighborhood Watch at the national level and teach people how to organize a watch group. Additionally, NSA created the “Meet the Challenge” campaign to inspire law enforcement agencies, citizen organizations, and the general public to start new Neighborhood Watch groups or revitalize existing ones and add them to the searchable national database. Other site features include a weekly e-mail newsletter, the Neighborhood Watch Implementation Manual, success stories and articles, and live audio interviews with government and law enforcement officials and other Neighborhood Watch affiliates.