Sheriff’s Office volunteers are invaluable in the services that they provide in the following areas:
Law Enforcement Chaplaincy
A nonprofit corporation, the seven members of the Law Enforcement Chaplaincy of Shasta County dedicate their time to minister to members of law enforcement, their families, and the community. In 2016 they volunteered 10,275 hours of service and drove over 13,500 miles while performing their duties. They responded to 32 callouts from 11 different agencies.
Citizen Volunteer Patrols
There are currently seven Citizen Volunteer Patrol (CVP) units in Shasta County serving the communities of Burney, City of Shasta Lake, Cottonwood, Fall River Mills, Happy Valley, Shasta Lake Boating, and Shingletown. In 2016, these combined units worked 15,004 hours, drove 41,869 patrol miles, conducted 592 daytime patrols, and 384 nighttime patrols. They conducted over 23,512 business checks, over 4,226 house checks, 108 welfare checks, and reported 73 incidents to the Sheriff’s Office. They assisted the Sheriff’s Office during Search & Rescue missions and fire evacuations and attended community functions in support of the Sheriff’s Office.
CVP volunteers provided much needed clerical support to the Sheriff’s Records Unit and assisted with many parades and events. CVP member Claudia Bertrand volunteered 1,387 hours in the Records Unit in 2016. CVP Coordinator Arnie Brinton worked over 800 hours in 2016 and processed, trained, and swore-in 13 new volunteers. He attended meetings at six of the patrol units, conducted one meeting with all Sergeants and Lieutenants in attendance, arranged four Neighborhood Watch meetings, ordered uniforms, and kept monthly attendance and patrol records. He maintained files of all applicants (active, inactive, and denied) and arranged for and presented the service awards for 5, 10, 15, and 20 years of volunteer service.
The CVP membership currently stands at over 126 volunteers.
Explorer Program
This group of volunteers consists of members who are an active support unit assisting in many areas to include: search and rescue, crowd control, and some clerical support roles throughout the department. There are currently nine Explorers with two more pending acceptance. In 2016 they donated 397 volunteer hours performing community service at five events and attending Explorer meetings.
Reserve Program
The Reserve Unit is comprised of three sworn reserve volunteers who are overseen by a Sheriff’s Office Sergeant. They donate their personal time to various major incidents and community events. In addition to working various assignments for the Sheriff’s Office, each member is required to attend and participate in all training assigned to their fulltime counterpart.
Asphalt Cowboys
While the Asphalt Cowboys are their own entity, they are routinely available to assist the Sheriff’s Office by cooking during special events or during emergency incidents. Members of the Asphalt Cowboys have been available when called upon.
Search and Rescue
The volunteers who make up our search and rescue teams come from all walks of life and are the backbone of the Search and Rescue Unit. Many of these volunteers work on two or more teams.
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Communication Posse
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Dive Team
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Eastern Flying Posse
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Ground Team
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Jeep Posse
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Jeep Auxiliary
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K-9 Team
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Mountain Rescue
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Mounted Posse
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Rescue Dirt Riders
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Snowmobilers
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Tracker Team
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Western Flying Posse