Lyon County seniors will soon be able to help out at the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office through a program being launched in cooperation with Lyon County Retired Senior Volunteers Program, or RSVP, and the sheriff’s office.
The program, which will be called the Senior Patrol, gives people 55 years and older an opportunity to help the sheriff’s office both in the office and around Lyon County.
Undersheriff Richard Old said applications are being taken through the RSVP office to form the patrol, which will help free up officers on tasks that don’t require an officer.
“We are a tax-supporting entity,” Old said. “We always look at ways to do more for less. We are looking to cooperate and use resources and make the use of senior volunteers.”
Old said the program will have two parts — inside and outside work. Inside work will be primarily clerical in nature. This will include making lost and found calls, copying, greeting the public and distributing flyers.
“There’s an unlimited amount of possibilities,” Old said. “We don’t intend to put them in the jail with inmates, but I do see them doing telephone services.”
The outside part of the work includes going out in the county with a patrol car (no weapons will be issued). Volunteers also will get a jacket and a ball cap to identify them as being with the sheriff’s office. Volunteers will do everything from checking on people’s homes while they are on vacation to checking portions of the county’s infrastructure such as power stations and water wells. They also will report if any trash has been dumped or if anything in the county is amiss.
Seniors will be able to wait with stranded motorists until help arrives.
“We will use them so policemen don’t have to stand by and wait,” Old said. “If you’re broke down, it’s nice to have a sheriff’s car there with the lights on so nobody hits you.”
Brenda Holmes, with the Lyon County RSVP, said when performing outside duties, volunteers will be paired up so they’re not working alone. She also said volunteers who cannot drive can still volunteer, they will be paired with someone who can.
“We encourage husband and wife teams for outside,” Holmes said.
To apply, seniors should first apply with the Lyon County RSVP office. Driver’s license and background checks will be conducted. The sheriff’s office will pay for seniors to complete AARP’s Alive at 55 driving training. A training session also will be conducted at the sheriff’s office with future senior patrol members.
“Then we will put them to work,” Old said.
Volunteers will have the opportunity to be paired with the local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) that is through Lyon County Emergency Management.
For more information and to apply, call Brenda Holmes at 342-6119.