Malibu Seeking New Recruits To Join Volunteers on Patrol

MALIBU, CA — Malibu is looking for a few good men and women to join the Volunteers on Patrol program that the City operates in partnership with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Malibu/Lost Hills Station.

“I applaud the volunteers of the VOP program who dedicate their time to helping make Malibu a safer community, and I encourage any Malibu resident interested in public service to join the VOP team,” Mayor Skylar Peak said.

The sheriff's department created the VOP program in the various communities it serves to get more residents involved in contributing to public safety, to improve community relations, and to serve as additional “eyes and ears” for the sheriff's. The Malibu program was started in 2010.

The 13 current VOP members are not law enforcement officers but unarmed civilian volunteers who patrol in official, marked vehicles and stay in constant communication with deputies.

VOP members are trained by the sheriff’s department to assist in DUI checkpoints, traffic control, first aid/CPR, vacation and business checks, enforcing the City's parking regulations, residential patrols, and patrolling and reporting on wildfires.

They routinely report traffic hazards on PCH and City roads, including downed power lines, roadway obstructions and dangerous drivers. The VOP team volunteered a total of 1,376 hours in January, February and March of 2017.

To qualify, applicants must be over 18 years old, be a resident of the Malibu, complete an oral interview, submit to a background check, commit to ongoing training, and meet minimum driving standards.

For more information, contact Malibu VOP Team Leader Mark Russo at 310-347-6100 or malibuvop@gmail.com, or visit www.MalibuCity.org/VOP.

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