Does Your Agency Need a Reserve Officer Programme?: Training Issues and Advice
| Date | 01 July 1993 |
| Author | Randall Aragon |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X9306600306 |
| Published date | 01 July 1993 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
RANDALL
ARAGON
FBI National Academy
DOESYOURAGENCYNEEDA
RESERVE OFFICER
PROGRAMME?: TRAINING
ISSUES AND ADVICE
Introduction
The
1990s
willcertainly beadecadethatshouldgodowninpolice
history
asthemostexpenditure-conscious periodinthetwentieth century. Local,
county,
state,and
federal
agency
heads are all being given the task of
accomplishing moreand
more,
withless andlessresources. This pattern
ofextreme cost-cutting has
become
anation-wideevent.Mycitymanager
reportedtothe
Selma,
NorthCarolina, towncouncilinMay,
1991,
thathis
formulated budgetwasa "bare-bones"financial package. Thebudgetwas
so lean it even precluded a most important personnel incentive: merit
raises. Withreducedfederal/state financial assistance, the townmanager
reallyhadnootherreasonable alternative.
Yes,moralewasdiminished because the"highperformance achievers"
could notbe rewarded for above-average performance.
However,
what
about a growing population that constantly
demands
additional law-
enforcement services?
If
salary raises are out, obviously increasing the
officerstrength isasubjectthatmost
agency
administrators wishto
avoid.
Tofillthiscritical void (diminishing funds
versus
theneedfor additional
manpower), manyagencies haveestablished
reserve
officerprogrammes.
Reserve
officerprogrammes havebeenoperating inpolicedepartments
ofall sizesanddemographic areasoftheUnitedStates. Thispaperwillbe
confined to presenting
ideas,
facts,
issuesand recommendations for the
development, training andutilization ofa reserve officer
programme,
for
the smallpolice
agency.
I havegreat admiration foradministrators (chiefs) of small
towns,
not
onlybecause I serve in sucha capacity, butbecausemostpoliceagencies
intheUnitedStatesfallintothe category of a "small town"police
force.
According
to Sims
(1988),
"... 90 per cent of the United States
17,000
police
departmentscan
claim
fewerthantenofficerseach"(p.
16).
However,
for the sake of clarity, thisexpository will consider a small town police
force
as one employing lessthan 25 police officers.
Acommonsense
approach
(nofrills, or confusing/esoteric data)willbe
a
keynote
throughout this treatise. The bottom line will be to lucidly
explainto executives of small policeagencies:
(I) the
fmancial
benefits
ofestablishing a
reserve
officer
programme,
and
268 The Police JOUT7I(J[ July 1993
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