- November 23, 2024
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The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office celebrated the volunteer Citizens on Patrol at a recent ceremony. C.O.P.s were awarded various certificates based on the number of hours provided to the community. This past year, C.O.P.s worked a total of 23,000 hours, saving taxpayers nearly $500,000.
“We couldn’t do many of the non-law enforcement services we provide to the community without our C.O.P.s. The support they give our deputies handling minor crashes, home vacation watches, patrolling the beaches and canals is invaluable,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “I truly can’t think them enough for the work they do so our deputies can focus on reducing crime and handling more serious calls.”
The mission of the C.O.P. organization is to make the neighborhoods of Flagler County as safe and secure as possible. The C.O.P.s report all suspicious activity via police radio to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office so a deputy sheriff can respond. They assist with traffic control at accidents, parades, funeral escorts and other special details. Since 2005, the C.O.P.s have worked approximately 260,000 hours, saving the county about $4.8 million.
The C.O.P.s also staff the Palm Coast District 2 office. Their duties consist of staffing the information desk, fingerprinting, filling requests for vacation house watches, dispatching the C.O.P. vehicles and handling phone calls. If you’ve ever been to the District 2 office, you’ve probably been greeted by a C.O.P., whose role is to see your concerns are handled.
All new C.O.P.s go through 40 hours of training, consisting of both classroom and hands-on instruction. They receive training on communications, fingerprinting, patrols, special events, traffic control, report writing, funeral escort services and many other services provided to the community. If you would like to join the C.O.P.s, call the C.O.P. recruiting line at 386-586-4825 or apply at http://www.flaglersheriff.com/join-fcso/volunteers/volunteerapplication.
