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I must admit my income-earning day job as a banker is not necessarily the most interesting job on earth, but my volunteer job with the Lakewood Police Department is! My volunteer partner and I spend every Friday evening from 3 to 8:30 p.m. providing Motorist Assist services and other support to Lakewood Police Agents.
When police dispatchers (303-987-7111) receive a call about a stranded motorist in traffic, police agents are dispatched to clear the vehicle from traffic. However, when the Motorist Assist volunteers are in service, we respond to these calls and assist the stranded motorists, thus allowing the agents to handle more serious police matters. The specially trained Motorist Assist volunteers drive a vehicle clearly marked as Police Department Volunteers which is equipped with gas cans, jumper cables, floor jacks, push bumpers and other tools to help vehicles broken down in traffic get underway or safely out of traffic. Volunteers also assist the police agents by directing traffic at accident scenes freeing up the agents to handle the accident investigation, or preventing further accidents at the scene until the agent arrives.
After completing the required Citizen Police Academy training, we also received specialized training on how to communicate on the police radio and safely provide Motorist Assist services. I am proud to say that my partner and I have assisted agents in many different capacities while on duty as Motorist Assist volunteers. Attached is a photo of my volunteer partner and our Motorist Assist pickup truck.
For information on how you can join this elite team of volunteers, call the Volunteer Program Coordinator at 303-987-7105. The next Citizen Police Academy class will begin the end of March and fills quickly. This class will provide you with greater knowledge of the Police Department and is the basis for one of the coolest jobs ever - volunteering to help fellow citizens and your Police Department! Like most volunteer jobs, the pay is not in money but in never ending thank-yous, smiles and excitement!