Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS)
In his 2002 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush announced the creation of the USA Freedom Corps: an effort to foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility. The Citizen Corps programs are part of the USA Freedom Corps initiative and share the common goal of helping communities, prevent, prepare for, and respond to crime, natural disasters and other emergencies. Volunteers In Police Service (VIPS) is one of the Citizen Corps programs. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) manages and implements the VIPS program in partnership with and on behalf of the White House Office of the USA Freedom Corps and the U.S. Department of Justice.
The ultimate goal of the VIPS program is to enhance the capacity of state, county and local law enforcement to utilize volunteers. The foundation of VIPS is the web site http://www.policevolunteers.org, which serves as a gateway to information for law enforcement agencies and citizens interested in law enforcement volunteer programs. I would encourage you to visit the web site and peruse through it. If you already have volunteers of any type, I would encourage you to register your program on this site and recognized as one of the VIPS sites representing the State of Maine on this national web site.
Typical Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) Course Outline
- Training Overview
- Introductions
- Goals
- Participant Performance Objectives
- Introduction to VIPS
- Needs Assessment
- Recruiting and Marketing
- Management and Administrative Issues
- Background and Screening
- Communications
- Program Development
- Funding and Sustainability
- Summary and Review
Contact MIPSI with your questions, comments, or to register for a class. Please visit the MIPSI Upcoming Events and Training page to see the date, time, and location of a class coming to your area.
For more information about VIPS, visit the National Volunteers in Police Service Web Site at http://www.policevolunteers.org/.