COUNTYWIDE : They Volunteer to Uphold the Law

Every week for five years, Helen Oldfield, 81, has put in her two hours at the Tustin Police Department come rain, shine or heavy smog.

“I’m faithful. I never missed a day or anything,” said Oldfield, who is as spry as a woman half her age. “It’s better to go out and do instead of sit and mope.”

Senior citizens such as Oldfield are helping to fill in the gaps left by budget cuts at more than a dozen police departments in the county by taking part in volunteer programs.

Tustin’s Senior Volunteer program is one of the smaller operations. Oldfield, who does filing and record-keeping for the investigation division, is the only volunteer now but said she has seen about 10 others come and go.

In San Clemente, a model senior citizens volunteer program is flourishing.

The San Clemente Police Department has about two dozen volunteers who, unlike Oldfield, who wears civilian clothes and a name tag while on duty, don special department-issue uniforms and drive department vehicles.

The San Clemente volunteers, who range in age from 60 to 82, perform duties that include vacation patrols, security checks, taking fingerprints, clerical work and traffic and crowd control.

A recent report on the 7-year-old San Clemente program says that volunteers contributed $685,000 worth of donated time and that they generated more than $200,000 in parking citation revenue from 1985 to 1990.

San Clemente runs its program in cooperation with the Orange County Volunteer Center’s Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP).

RSVP is a nationwide volunteer network that was established as part of the Older Americans Act of 1971.

Laurie Smith, associate director of RSVP, said police departments have recently started to show more interest in volunteer programs.

“There is really great interest in this, especially with the cutbacks some departments are forced to make,” Smith said.

Smith added that even though the senior citizens can do much of the work that sworn officers do, the “volunteers are not there to take away paid positions.”

Costa Mesa, Cypress and Fountain Valley also make use of RSVP volunteers to augment their police personnel. Dana Point, Newport Beach and Irvine hope to begin similar programs soon, Smith said.

Before senior citizens can go to work behind the thin blue line in most departments, they must undergo background checks and extensive training. Many departments, Tustin’s among them, have a code of responsibility for volunteers that spells out their commitments.

RSVP requires that volunteers work a certain number of hours a week and that they record their volunteer hours monthly.

In return, RSVP provides them with accident, liability and auto insurance and covers some expenses if needed.

The volunteers are also recognized at the annual RSVP banquet, Smith said.

“We have found that seniors are a dynamic resource. They have the time and the ability,” Smith said. “It can really be a win-win situation.”