The Milford Police Department has an extra set of eyes and ears. The Milford Senior Patrol Volunteer Unit, created in 1997, is the brainchild of one of its seven member team. Last year alone, this safety conscious group logged in over 700 hours of volunteer services. Each volunteer, age 55 or older, completes a 40-hour training program with the Police Department and can then begin patrolling the community in a marked volunteer patrol vehicle. Duties include everything from checking in on elderly residents who are shut-in, to issuing summons for handicap parking violators, to walking a special foot patrol in shopping centers and the downtown area, especially during the holiday season. Volunteers are also trained in First Aid and CPR, making their presence a terrific asset in a medical emergency.

Store owners in the community have expressed their increased feeling of safety and shut-ins have found a new vehicle for communicating their needs. The Milford Police call them "invaluable." The duties the volunteers perform allow Patrol Officers to spend needed time on the road, making the Department more efficient. In addition, the rapport that has been built between the volunteers and the Police Department is considered "immeasurable" by the Officers.

The requirements for the program are simply a willingness to work the assigned shifts, being at least 55 years of age, completion of a background investigation and a forty hour block of training. If you think you may know someone who is interested in joining the Senior Volunteer Patrol Program, call us at 422-8081.