Mission Statement: The Organization “Police And Community Together” (PACT) is a volunteer group which provides services to the Ridgecrest Police Department in community crime prevention, public education of safety issues, public health and provide the community with responsive, proactive public safety services.
PACT is comprised of adult citizens who are familiar with the local areas. These trained volunteers enhance vital crime prevention services and community awareness. Citizen volunteers may perform the vacation house checks, conduct business and residential security surveys, provide traffic control for special events, provide support for the local semi-annual fairs, and assist in several other programs. Volunteers conduct other assigned duties per the Chief of Police.
Citizen volunteer members do not take any enforcement action, carry any weapons or make custodial arrests. Any suspicious activity observed is immediately reported to the Police Department.
PACT is a crime prevention program exercising proactive law enforcement principles. The PACT program is expressly comprised of volunteers having an interest in helping their law enforcement agency.
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Police And Community Together (PACT) is a volunteer group, which provides the citizens of the Indian Wells Valley the opportunity to become involved with their police department’s efforts to combat crime. The benefit is a safer and cleaner community. Volunteers attend a 40-hour training academy that provides them the basics of crime prevention, safety and an understanding of law enforcement .
In 1991, at the request of the Chief of Police, volunteers provided help in the office so he could release officers for outside duty. In 1993 volunteers were sought to help combat the rising graffiti problem. The volunteers became known as the Graffiti Task Force (GTF). Through their hard work and dedication, graffiti was removed nearly as soon as it was placed. Another volunteer group provided the police department with civilian surveillance teams to catch the vandals “in the act.” Those efforts netted 32 arrests and convictions in the first two years alone.
With the outstanding success of graffiti removal and prevention, the Chief of Police asked the volunteers to organize what has become PACT a partnership between the police department and the community. Today PACT has approximately 78 adult citizen volunteers who are trained to enhance crime prevention and community awareness programs.
PACT promotes the philosophy that, working together, law enforcement and citizens can make the community a safer and cleaner place to live. This resource frees police manpower to do other assigned tasks that only sworn officers, can accomplish. Citizen volunteer members do not take any enforcement action, carry any weapons, or make custodial arrests. Any suspicious activity observed is immediately reported to the Police Department.