Police Seek Volunteers for Gresham Community Watch Program

GRESHAM, OR – Residents can now apply to the Gresham Police Department’s Citizen Volunteers in Policing program.

Establishing a presence in the city’s parks and along its trails, as well as in residential and commercial business areas, program volunteers will become familiar with Gresham police philosophies, policies, and procedures as they’re trained by GPD officers to serve as additional eyes and ears in the city.

This cycle marks the sixth iteration of the volunteer policing program, according to Gresham police spokesman Sgt. Mike Amend.

The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. April 28.

“(The program) keeps community engagement up … and is a really good relationship builder,” Amend told Patch Thursday. “The police department needs to work with the community.”

Volunteers will not be allowed or expected to carry weapons, confront suspects, or participate in altercations, Amend said. They will only “observe and report.”

Amend added, however, that volunteers will be trained to issue parking citations to individuals who are found parked in designated handicap spaces and be responsible for deploying a radar trailer/speed flasher in areas where residents have reported traffic violations.

Volunteers are expected to commit at least 20 hours per month to the city, Amend said. Often, those hours are spent assisting with community events (such as the Teddy Bear Parade), patrolling neighborhoods in a retired police cruiser, and handing out food baskets to families in need Monday through Friday.

Applicants, whom are typically members of already-established neighborhood watches, must be at least 21 years old, live or own a business in Gresham, and pass a DMV and criminal background check.

Respondents selected for the program are required to submit for fingerprinting.

Applications can be found at the police department's Information and Records window. Completed forms can be mailed to the police department, 1333 N.W. Eastman Parkway, or dropped off at the department's front desk.

Photo Courtesy: Gresham Police Department