Retired Seniors Sought for Unpaid Police Positions : Volunteerism: Huntington Beach will recruit 20 to help write parking citations and perform office jobs.

Senior citizens are going to work for the city’s Police Department--for free.

The City Council on Monday night voted to join a national effort called RRetired Senior Volunteer Program, which places retirees in community volunteer positions. Huntington Beach plans to recruit 20 retirees and use them as police volunteers. They will help write citations for parking violations and perform various office jobs.

Councilwoman Linda Moulton-Patterson said she strongly supported the proposal.

“I have seen how something like this has been very successful in Fountain Valley,” she said.

Police Chief Ronald E. Lowenberg, in a written report to the council, said: “These seniors would be used in a number of job responsibilities both in the office and out in the community. All volunteers would receive generalized training followed by specific job training.”

The seniors will work without pay. The only cost to the city, Lowenberg said, is a onetime $6,000 expenditure to buy uniforms for the volunteers.

The council voted to allow Lowenberg to use money from the Police Department’s Narcotic Forfeiture Fund for this purpose. Money in the forfeiture fund comes from property and other assets seized from convicted drug dealers.

Lowenberg predicted that the $6,000 start-up cost would be recovered by the city nine months after the senior volunteers start working. He said the volunteers will generate added revenue to the city through the increased number of parking citations they will be writing.

“Revenues generated from citations issued by these volunteers are expected to exceed $8,000 the first year,” Lowenberg said.

Illegal use of parking spaces for the handicapped will be among the violations that the volunteers will be looking out for, he said.

“Our plan is to recruit 20 seniors during the implementation phase,” Lowenberg said. “Additional volunteers will be added based upon the department’s needs and the available seniors interested in this program.”