Cape Police Volunteer Unit increases contribution time by 29 percent in 2010
Cape Coral Police volunteers increased the number of hours provided in support of the Cape Coral Police Department by 29 percent in 2010. The Police Volunteer Unit contributed 36,075 hours, up from 27,915 in 2009. The value of these volunteer hours is estimated at more than $752,000.
“In times of shrinking budgets, we are being challenged to find innovative ways to deliver public safety services to the community,” said Police Chief Jay Murphy. “Our police volunteers handle many significant daily responsibilities, which allows our sworn personnel and civilian staff to focus on other duties that help maintain our level of services.”
The Cape Coral Police Department has reduced staffing by about 50 police officers these past few years. The Department’s Volunteer Unit has 150 participants, and these citizens provide valuable support to the Patrol and Marine units, and assist with administrative tasks at the information desks in Police Headquarters and City Hall. They perform a variety of duties – parking enforcement, fire lane restrictions and code violations. Volunteers also provide traffic control when needed.
“We appreciate that these Cape citizens take time from their day to assist with our daily operations,” added Chief Murphy. “Their contributions to our organization, and the city as a whole, help us in our continuing efforts to provide quality police services to our residents.”
For more information on the Cape Police Volunteer Unit, contact Joe Hartley at jhartley@capecoral.net or call 242-3346.