RESERVE POLICE OFFICERS

Reserve or auxiliary cops serve their communities with distinction while holding down a full-time civilian job despite being treated by management as second-class members of the police department

By Greg ‘Gadfly’ Doyle

PACOVILLA Corrections blog
January 11, 2015

I have always held a high regard and a special place in my heart for reserve police officers, that is why I accepted the invitation to sing at their Christmas parties for so many years. Some reserves eventually became sworn officers, but most held their full time employment in civilian jobs and came out to serve the public for free. In the capacity as a reserve, while on-duty with a sworn officer, our reserves functioned as fully-sworn police officers. They had the same powers of arrest and were under the same scrutiny as their fully-paid partners. Off-duty, however, they were not allowed to carry concealed weapons or act as a peace officer would be able to do.

But there was an unspoken distinction at my agency (I am ashamed to say), particularly visible thirty years ago, that I never participated in or condoned. It was always assumed whenever a reserve showed up to work. From management’s perspective, reserves had to be carefully watched. By comparison to sworn police officers, reserve officers were often viewed as second-class citizens of the Department, in spite of the enormous amount of work and assistance they provided for free to the City. And the beat officer who partnered with a reserve was held responsible for any mistakes made by the reserve. Needless to say, some senior sworn officers made it clear that reserves were not welcome inside their patrol cars.

In fairness to the culture of police work in general, becoming a peace officer is an arduous process of screening, testing, training, and scrutiny. Police managers are always focused on the appearance of things to the public at large. Managers and supervisors police their police officers, insuring that laws are followed and Department policies adhered to, which minimize the liability risks to the City. Reserve officers, by the nature of their part-time participation, are generally less familiar with Department policy than their sworn counterparts. Hence, sworn officers who were partnered with reserves were given an additional limited supervisory role on top of their duty assignments. And some patrol officers resented that responsibility.

I admire reserve officers for their service and devotion to duty in spite of all the aforementioned hurdles they contended with in order to police.

EDITOR’S NOTE: I had the good fortune to often work with one particular reserve officer while I served with the Riverside Sheriff’s Department. Yes, he was a cop wannabe, but he deserved to be one.

Unfortunately, he had a prominent ugly scar on his face. Every time he took the entrance exam he passed with flying colors, but the department refused to hire him because it feared the scar would be a serious detraction while carrying out his duties.

Finally, after trying for years, he was hired. I understand he did quite well as a regular officer.

As for other reserve officers I worked with, some were good and there were some I did not want to work with. But I can say the same thing about regular officers.