The Sparta Police Department hopes to take the next step in year two of the Police Officer Reserve Program.
Reserve Lieutenant Tyler Brandes said reserves are volunteers within the department who provide officers with extra support while on call at little cost to the city. Brandes said the program is still new, so it is too soon to measure its success.
“[Chief Nick Dunn] kind of set a cap of about five personnel until we have spaces available,” Brandes said. “But we want to get the ball rolling and see how successful the program is long term before we roll it out and have you know, multiple officers.
Brandes said there are currently two reserves in the program. Brandes said these reserves have recently been used for tasks like traffic control, writing citations, or any calls where the department needs extra bodies.
Brandes said anyone with a valid drivers license can apply to be a reserve. Brandes said applicants must pass a criminal background check and be approved by city council to be a reserve. Brandes said reserves must also undergo some training after they are sworn in.
“We do a virtual academy,” Brandes said. “It’s the same virtual academy that regular officers and Sheriff’s deputies use. And [reserves] are required to have a minimum of 80 hours of training online, and all of that is before we start doing ride alongs and things like that with the officers.”
Brandes said reserves will then ride with a field training officer. He said the standards are similar to those of a regular officer, with lots of crossover in laws covered. Brandes said the state restricts the number of hours and days reserve officers can work each month.
Brandes said reserves can also be trained on firearms, tasers, and pepper spray. He said ideally, this training is completed over the first year so reserves can quickly get up to speed.
Brandes said this program can be a stepping stone to a career in law enforcement. He described the program as a good introduction for someone exploring the field.
“If it’s someone who is a full time officer and we don’t have a spot available for a full time position, they can come into the reserve program and start learning the city ordinances and seeing how the department operates,” Brandes said, “As it comes to when position opens, they can transition into that for full time officers.”
Brandes said one reserve recently took this route and joined the department as a full time officer. Brandes said aspiring full time officers will need to complete the four to six month training from the police academy.
Brandes said despite the cap on reserves, the department is always looking for more applications. Anyone interested can stop by the Sparta Police Department to apply.