Leesburg Police Open House Showcases Volunteer Opportunities

The held an open house on Thursday, October 27, to showcase volunteer opportunities in the department for adults and youth.

The Leesburg Police Citizens Support Team has worked in a supportive roll for the department since April 1996. The Citizens Support Team supports the department in many ways, from offering Child Identification Kits to the public at special events to assisting with traffic control when needed.

Stephen Hood, charter member and current president of the Citizens Support Team, said that members of the team conduct citizen patrols as needed, and over the years have helped the police catch suspects who were charged with grand larceny, drunk driving and other offenses. Team members have also helped locate missing children, and patrolled school areas during the “DC Sniper” shooting spree of 2002.

Hood said that the Citizens Support Team was originally created as a community policing initiative, to help bridge the gap between law enforcement and law abiding citizens of the community.

“The original idea was that we could be the eyes and ears on the street for law enforcement,” Hood said. “As the years went by, we took on responsibilities such as child fingerprinting, providing information to children at school events, crowd control, and directing traffic when lights were out because of power outages."

Hood said the team has members who work full-time, part-time, or who are fully retired. Team members collectively put in more than 9,000 hours per year, a value of more than $160,000, he said.

He encouraged anyone interested in volunteering with the team to obtain an application from the Citizens Support Team’s website.

Leesburg Police Explorer Post #1014, which has opportunities for youth ages 14 to 20, was also represented at the open house. The Explorer Post offers youth the chance to learn about law enforcement jobs, to help them determine if they wish to pursue a career in community service.

Ezekiel Terryberry, 19, a lieutenant with the Explorer Post, said that the Explorers primarily help with community outreach projects, distributing crime prevention information to the public. They also help with community events such as the 4th of July celebration, National Night Out, and the Halloween parade, which will take place on Monday. The Explorers will have a float in the parade, he said.

Danielle Burgess, 19, a captain with the Explorer Post, said that she has been an Explorer since the program began in 2007. Currently there are nine members, including two females, she said.

For more information about the Explorer program, contact Master Police Officer C. F. Tidmore at 703-771-4564 or by email at tidmore@leesburgva.gov.