Volunteers in Policing (VIP) is a program that provides an
opportunity for San Antonio citizens to become involved with and
to assist the San Antonio Police Department through volunteer
activities. This program, which operates in many law enforcement
agencies throughout the U.S., recruits average citizens to
perform a variety of tasks within the City of San Antonio to support
the efforts of sworn and civilian personnel.
In San Antonio, V.I.P.
began as a formal "program" in 1997 with only 12
volunteers. By the end of 2005 there were over 500 V.I.P.s
working in a wide variety of SAPD activities.
VIP volunteers perform a wide variety of services within SAPD,
including assisting in Warrant Drives (calling persons with Municipal
Court warrants), fingerprinting children for parents, surveillance of
parking lots (to identify vehicle-related crimes), handicap parking
citations, and clerical assistance in SAPD offices. For more information
on these assignments, please go to: VIP ASSIGMENTS.
To apply to become a V.I.P. you may download
an Application Form (PDF Format) from the SAPD Web Forms
Page, or pick up an Application Form from the V.I.P. office
on San Saba. Successful applicants will be notified by
the V.I.P. Program Coordinator and invited to an Orientation
Training Session. For V.I.P.s interested in specialized
activities, such as CObRA T or Warrant Drives, additional
training will be provided.
