Police Reserve Corps
The
Metropolitan Police Reserve Corps is a volunteer program providing
qualified
civic-minded individuals with the opportunity to assist the MPDC in
carrying out its policing responsibilities. Members of the Metropolitan
Police Reserve Corps can make a volunteer public safety contribution
to their community in many ways. The Reserve Officer assignments are
varied and range from administrative support to the broad duties of
career police officers. Assignments can range from a few hours a week
to a regularly scheduled tour of duty.
Background
During the Second World War, DC residents were protected by
the Civil Defense Force, which was organized to assist against the
threat of attack on the nation's capital. After the war, while the
Civil Defense was no longer a priority, it became apparent that
an organized reserve force would benefit the regular police by assisting
them in carrying out their responsibilities.
The Metropolitan Police Reserve Corps was established in November
1948. Public law passed in 1950 gave authority to the chief of police,
at his discretion, to select, organize, train, and equip certain
residents of the District and the metropolitan area in a special
reserve unit known as the Metropolitan Police Reserve Corps. The
members of this force served without pay.
Members of the new Reserve Corps were first used on Wednesday,
October 31, 1951, to watch fire alarm boxes to prevent the sounding
of false alarms during Halloween. In 1961, the Reserve Corps was
called to duty and sworn in to assist with the inauguration of President
John F. Kennedy. Throughout the 1960s, the Reserve Corps was frequently
called upon to help with demonstrations and civil insurgence arising
out of national tragedies such as the assassinations of President
Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King,
Jr.
In 1970, an MPDC general order (later revised in March 1995) set
forth the policy, procedures, and responsibilities of the Reserve
Corps. With the implementation of these orders, the Reserve Corps
was brought to a state of readiness for community service and made
an integral part of the MPD.
Organization
Members of the Metropolitan Police Reserve Corps are members
of the Department who serve without compensation, and perform a
variety of duties with, and in support of, the career police force.
Reserve Officers
are assigned to various units of the Department, and work to provide
a variety of law enforcement activities. Many Reserve Officers will
be assigned to a Police Service Area (PSA) in one of the seven patrol
districts. Others may work in a specialized unit and will work in
support of the patrol districts.
Reserve Officers
serve the Department in different ways, depending on individual
experience and qualifications, and the time commitment they are
able to make. Some Reserve Officers may work indoors in a patrol
district. Others will work side by side with patrol officers performing
front line law enforcement activities. And others still may work
alone, providing uniform patrol in their own community as a fully
empowered police officer who possesses the same equipment and service
weapon as career police officers.
The opportunities
for public service through the all-volunteer Reserve Corps are extensive,
and are limited only by the commitment an individual is prepared
to make.
Training
The MPDC has redesigned its Reserve Corps program to make it
more accessible to those interested in volunteering with the department.
The Reserve Corps program is now made up of five
classes of Reserves, each class with a different level of training
and responsibilities. The entry level (5th Class) requires only
20 hours of training that leads to commensurate responsibilities.
For individuals interested in investing more time into the program,
cumulative training is available. Additional training makes a member
eligible for the next class level with greater responsibilities.
The Department's
Maurice T. Turner Jr. Institute of Police Science will provide training
for recruit Reserve Officers. The training will be held at various
sites throughout the city, including the police academy. The Department
understands that the Reserve Corps is staffed with volunteers. Thus,
the training for recruit Reserve Officers will be provided on a
varied schedule, during the day and evenings, and on weekends.
Depending on
the commitment of duty time, recruit Reserve Officers will complete
a full program of physical, classroom, and skills training to prepare
them for the challenges of being a Reserve Officer. Among the subjects
covered by the training are laws of arrest, search and seizures,
criminal law, traffic regulations, human relations, community policing,
ethics and integrity, etc. Additionally, Reserve Officers will receive
skills training in the operation of emergency police vehicles, self-defense,
advanced first aid, and firearms training if appropriate.
Volunteer
Process
In
addition to meeting the general
criteria, anyone interested in becoming a member of the Metropolitan
Police Reserve Corps must pass a thorough screening process that
includes:
- Fingerprinting
- Criminal
History Check
- Civil History
Check
- Traffic Record
Check
- Proof of
Physical Fitness
Apply
to the MPDC Reserve Corps
You may print out the application and complete it manually, or you
may type the appropriate information into the gray areas. The completed
form must have an original signature (not a copy) when it is submitted.
You may mail or hand-deliver the completed application to:
Police Recruiting
Unit
300 Indiana Ave., NW, Room 2169
Washington, DC 20001
Contact
Information
For more information,
visit the MPDC
Reserve Corps website or contact:
Police Recruiting Unit
Police Headquarters,
Room 2169
Phone:(202) 727-2767
Fax: (202) 727-4406
or
Lt. Sharon McInnis
Police Reserve Corps
300 Indiana Avenue, NW
Room 5140
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 727-0589
Fax: (202) 645-0711
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