After toying with the idea for some time, Osceola Police Chief Marty Duffus announced at the May 5 Osceola City Council meeting that the police department has begun the process of establishing a reserve police force.
“There’s many reasons why you would have one. One is, they are free,” Duffus said.
The establishment of a reserve police force is laid out in city code Chapter 30, “Reserve Police Force.”
“A force of reserve peace officers is hereby established. A reserve peace officer is a volunteer, non-regular, sworn member of the Police Department who will serve with or without compensation and has regular police powers while functioning as the Police Department’s representative, and will participate on a regular basis in the agency’s activities, including those of crime prevention and control, preservation of the peace and enforcement of the law…. Reserve peace officers shall serve as peace officers on the orders and at the discretion of the Police Chief. While in the actual performance of official duties, reserve peace officers shall be vested with the same rights, privileges, obligations and duties as any other peace officer.”
Duffus explained reserve officers are paid $1 a year, have 18 months of coursework to complete prior to becoming a reserve, have required service hours within the department, are supplied a uniform by the department and have all of the powers of a full-time officer save enforcing OWI laws. While they can initiate traffic stops, they would have to call in an officer to deal with the stop. Reserve officers have to provide their own weapon after going through a firearm qualifications process.
Duffus said reserve officers would be of a benefit to the police department during times when a larger police presence is necessary, such as during the Fourth of July.
“[In] our heavy periods, we can schedule a pair of reserves to work, just to be an extra car to take maybe the secondary things, and take a little pressure off full-time guys,” Duffus said.
Duffus explained that the reserve program can be used as a vetting process and hiring pool of potential future full-time officers.
“It’s our goal to get some younger reserves to go through the state qualification,” he said. “Then when we have openings, [they would] want to step up from the reserve force up into the full-time force and that would minimize then our job searches greatly.”
Councilman Dan Hooper questioned the reserve pay of $1 a year.
“I would consider when we call them for services, that they would get some kind of recognition and pay,” Hooper said.
Duffus said the issue that arises by offering more pay is that then the reserves could move into part-time status, which differs from reserve status, including having to go through the police academy training.
Councilwoman Sonya Hicks asked if a reserve officer could function as a school resource officer, a discussion that has been had in recent months. Duffus said no. Osceola Mayor Thomas Keldey said discussions about an SRO were still ongoing between the city and school.
“This reserve program, I think it’s an outstanding program. We’ve created one before, it’s a good thing, and it eventually will work into an applicant pool, a local applicant pool,” Duffus said. “We can train them the way we want them and excite them about law enforcement and get them here.”
The police department will cover the cost of training.
The Clarke County Sheriff’s Office utilizes a sheriff’s reserve force.
In other police news…
The Osceola Police Department bid farewell to officer Michael Rhoades April 30 as he accepted a position in Madison County, and hired Clarke County Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Fox.
Missouri-native Fox was hired by the county in March 2023. Prior to working for Clarke County, he spent five years with the Kirksville Police Department where he was on the S.W.A.T. team and a field training officer, and spent about two years on the Lamoni Police Department.
“I think [he’ll] be a good addition to our group,” Duffus said.