The Lake City Police Department is launching a new reserve unit and is looking for volunteers from the community to serve as reserve officers. The volunteer positions will have the same authority and arrest powers as a full-time officer after in-house training under Iowa Code, but will not be paid. Police Chief Jimmy James addressed the council back in October, explaining a program that he ran like this in another agency, to gain additional personnel to utilize for the department and to increase interest by providing hands-on experience to those potentially seeking a career in law enforcement. The council agreed at it’s Oct. 20 meeting to hire four reserve officers. Duties would include patrolling alongside full-time officers, responding to calls for service, emergencies, assisting with special assignments, coverage at high school events and more. Reserve officers would have the flexibility to set their own hours, with a minimum of ten service hours a month, while attending monthly meetings and training, with 40 hours of training required for the first year in service, including a firearms training after probation and 30 hours of annual training following the first initial year. Anyone interested or in need of more information is encouraged to contact Chief James by calling 712-640-6401 or visiting the Lake City Police station.
