Volunteer at B.P.P.D. There are a variety of ways you can volunteer at the Buena Park Police Department or become educated about Police Department operations.
Below is a list of volunteer possibilities:
Community Police Academy:
The Community Police Academy was created to assist the public in learning about Police Department operations and to provide an opportunity for students to meet the men and women who provide law enforcement services in our City.
The Community Police Academy’s curriculum is designed to provide an inside look at how Patrol, Traffic, Vice and Narcotics, Gang Suppression, Robbery and Homicide Investigation, and Forensics function.
Various Police Department bureaus provide demonstrations, such as the Canine Unit, SWAT Team and firearms instructors. Academy participants can also join in a ride- along program with police officers and observe actual field calls while out on patrol.
Citizens Assisting Police & RACES Volunteers:
Completion of the Community Police Academy is a requirement as a qualification to become a member of the Department’s Citizens Assisting Police (“CAPs”) Volunteer Program.
Since 1994, the CAPs program has continued to exceed over 40 volunteers each year. Another part of our volunteer program is the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (“RACES”) volunteers.
CAPs and RACES are often called in time of emergencies, ranging from traffic control at major traffic accident scenes, or canvassing the City in search of critical missing persons. The volunteers have also been involved with the Neighborhood Improvement Task Force since its inception, and assist in the Investigations Bureau.
Their valuable help makes a variety of events and details a success. CAPs and RACES assist the Police Department in many other ways by helping out with special events, vacation home checks, station tours, Parks and Recreation functions, DUI checkpoints, evidence searches, processing citations and other necessary documents throughout the Police Department, as well as the City’s annual Silverado Days festivities and at the Police Department’s annual Open House.
Each year, our CAPs and RACES volunteer over 12,000 hours to the Police Department and the Buena Park Community. Their selfless contribution over the years has made the CAPs and RACES programs integral components to the operations of the Buena Park Police Department.
Explorers:
The Buena Park Police Explorer Post 474 is a group of over 40 young men and women, between the ages of 14 and 21, who are interested in community service and a career in law enforcement. A Buena Park Police Sergeant administers the Explorer Program and is assisted by several police officers serving as volunteer advisors.
Explorers attend a high-energy, four-day Explorer Academy within one year of joining the Explorer Post. Explorers also receive year-round instruction and training at the police station, which includes inspections, physical development, and a basic understanding of police service and the duties entailed.
Many Explorers continue on with the Department as part-time employees and even sworn police officers.
Much like the CAPs, the Explorers offer many benefits to the Police Department and the community, such as: providing traffic control at large city and community events, providing security at local school functions and helping allied agencies.
The Buena Park Police Department Explorer Post provides hundreds of community service hours to our City and surrounding local communities. The lessons in leadership, responsibility, and service provide a life-long benefit to each member.
To enroll in the Community Police Academy, become a member of Explorer Post 474 or inquire about becoming a CAPs or RACES Volunteer, please contact Nadia Semaan with the Crime Prevention Unit at (714) 562-3993 or nsemaan@bppd.com. To begin the process of enrollment for the Community Police Academy, download the Community Police Academy Application online and contact the Crime Prevention Unit.