Leland PD talks volunteer officers

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — Today the Leland Police Department held a meeting for folks interested in serving on a potential volunteer police force for the town. Those in attendance were retired members of law enforcement with a variety of backgrounds and experiences from forces across the country.

“We’ve talked to a lot of retired folks that are about to go crazy. They can only play so much golf or do so much fishing, and once law enforcement gets in your blood it’s in your blood. I don’t think it ever goes away, and a lot of these folks have expressed interest in volunteering with us,” said Police Chief Mike James.

James said there are about 32 officers with Leland Police, so having a volunteer staff could potentially double the force serving the community.

“These are folks that we could put in doing call backs and checking up on cases that our detectives may not have enough time at that particular moment to get to. We can actually get to cases and start working cases a lot quicker with these folks on board,” said James.

A similar program is in place already through the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office. According to a spokeswoman Emily Flax there are about 250 volunteers who perform a numbers of tasks such as directing traffic, co-piloting the helicopter, attending community events and helping at D.A.R.E graduations.

Flax said that the volunteers typically save tax payers around half a million dollars annually and are a huge help to deputies.