Giving back to the community
Orange County sheriff’s volunteer John Reichardt, 68, a retired postal worker from Santa Ana, pauses in front of a statue of John Wayne while on patrol to help people find their way around John Wayne Airport. Reichardt, who volunteers about 30 hours a week, says he was hurt when Sheriff Sandra Hutchens decided to recall the badges issued to volunteers. It felt like a punch to the stomach, he says. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Reichardt points a family to the restrooms on the airport’s departures level. In addition to helping travelers negotiate their way through busy terminals, he also searches for unattended luggage and inspects trucks carrying shipments into the airport. Like all 429 volunteers in the Professional Services Responders Program, he works for free. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Reichardt, right, shares a hearty laugh with a passenger on his way to the security screening area. Reichardt, who arrives about 5:30 a.m. several days a week, said the badges issued by former Sheriff Michael S. Carona helped him build rapport with airport visitors. Now, he will have to make do with a black polo shirt that reads Airport Operations Division Sheriff Volunteer. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Reichardt keeps an eye out for anything out of the ordinary while patrolling the airport’s upper level. We dont flash badges or look for extra perks,” he says. “Were not what the media puts across. Were respectable people who want to give back to the community. Concern about revocation of the volunteers’ badges has prompted the sheriff to arrange a meeting with them this month. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
