The Danville Police Department is having their first Auxiliary Police Officer Class in a couple years. Catching up recently with Police Chief Christopher Yates after the Veterans Day ceremony, he told CIMG that they just had a retirement from the Auxiliary Police, they’re down to around a dozen officers, and it would be great to have more join the team; as they are always a big help.
AUDIO: They show up and do a lot of the food banks, a lot of the parades, any time there’s traffic control needs. And it takes a lot of stress and loads off the other officers, so they can focus on some of the other things going on in town.
These are volunteer positions. You need to be 21 or older, and have a valid FOID card.
AUDIO: Auxiliary officers are sworn in, and they take classes in everything from use of force to firearms training. They learn a lot about law enforcement, and they have to understand the laws in Illinois. Also, we don’t put them in situations where they are in danger, but we use them as an extra hand for us whenever we need help.
This is a 12 week program with a weekly class; the first one scheduled for Tuesday, January 19th from 6:30 to 9 PM. If interested, contact Kelley Wills by e-mail at kwills@danvillepd.org.
The Auxilary Police Chief is Mary Cox. Police Lieutenant Kyle Butcher is the coordinator.
