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Community Corner

Woods Looks for Public Safety Volunteers

As three auxiliary officers step down after decades of service, the city seeks replacements.

Grosse Pointe Woods is looking to fill three volunteer openings on its Public Safety Auxiliary Unit. Three volunteers will be stepping down in the next month or so—after 30-some years of service—and the city needs people to step in, suit up and take their places.

The auxiliaries are uniformed, unarmed and nonsworn public safety officers who help the department during emergencies and public events. There are a few requirements for the volunteer job: You need to pass a drug test, background check, basic health checkup and make it through the application and interview process.

Detective Sgt. Raymond Yonkowski, who is also the auxiliary unit coordinator, says these volunteers get pretty involved in the day-to-day workings of law enforcement. They learn a good deal of things connected to day-to-day police work, including gun safety, computer work, warrants and fingerprinting processes.

Auxiliaries must participate in training and attend a two-hour monthly meeting. They meet the third Thursday of every month at the GPW Community Center, except for July and August.

While volunteers give their time, the city supplies uniforms and equipment. Auxiliaries also get $500 a year for their help. It’s a little something for their time and effort, Yonkowski says.

What do the auxiliary officers do? They help with crowd control and order at various public events—including fireworks, parades and Devil’s Night–providing visibility and uniformed presence to the public. They also can do things like assist firefighters during a blaze. They also must ride with a public safety officer once a quarter “to get a better idea of what we do,” Yonkowski says.

The training has gotten a bit more complicated as of late. Auxiliaries learn to refill and reconnect air bottles, for example, when helping at a fire. This “frees up a firefighter and then the firefighter can (focus on) fighting the fire,” Yonkowski says.

You don’t need to be a Woods resident to volunteer, he says, but adds, “we prefer they live close” for quicker response time and better availability.

To volunteer to be an auxiliary officer, call Yonkowski at 313-343-2412.

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