Reserve Officer Program

Reserve police officers have been used for over thirty years in South Carolina. Modeled after civil defense and unarmed police auxiliary programs, reserve police officer programs grew from their early beginnings as social organizations, to todays model of unpaid, part-time volunteer forces supplementing the full-time officers of a department. The purpose of the research conducted was to survey police departments with an active reserve officer program to determine a base of standards, and to see if a consensus existed among the departments surveyed, specifically in the areas of training and responsibilities. Out of state agencies were also surveyed, and asked to provide additional information, and were used in comparison with South Carolina agencies. Research literature was also reviewed to provide additional background information. Research results showed wide variations among reserve officer programs in South Carolina, and even more so when compared to programs in other states. Several factors may have accounted for this department size, budget, and commitment to a reserve officer program. However, reserve officer programs have increased across the nation, as well as in South Carolina. This increase brought questions on the use and operations of such programs to the forefront for departments considering such an option. The goal of this portfolio is to present an option for implementation by the Columbia Police Department in order to continue providing effective law enforcement services to the citizens of Columbia during challenging fiscal times.