Police chief lauds work of volunteer unit that served 355 hours last year

It may be hard to find a good bargain these days, but members of the Village of Saukville’s Public Safety Committee were reminded at their last meeting of the consistent deal they get from the police reserves.

Trustee Mike Krocka, chairman of the committee, heads up the volunteer reserves. He has been with the unit for 12 years.

Krocka told the committee the seven-member unit logged 355 hours of unpaid duty last year, covering 78 events.

Members also put in 75 hours for training and meetings. Training covers basic CPR, traffic control, radio operation and protocols when responding to an emergency scene with fire, police and rescue personnel.

“That’s all provided at no charge to the taxpayers,” Krocka said.

Reserves are issued a uniform, badge, handcuffs, traffic wand and flashlight.

The unit primarily assists the police department with traffic and crowd control during community events.

Reserve officers are a constant presence during such ongoing events as the weekly summer farmers markets and regular youth dances, as well as special events like parades.

Two major community events were big draws on reserve time — 17 hours during National Night Out activities and 16 hours during the Chamber of Commerce Saukville Scare run and walk.

More critically, the squad offered support to police during eight emergency incidents. Those included four fire calls and a traffic crash.

“Having them available frees up our officers a lot, eliminating a lot of overtime for planned events like the farmers markets,” Police Chief Bill Meloy said.

“Ever since Mike has taken over, we have attracted good people to the reserves who show up when we need them and make us all look good.”

The committee also recommended the Village Board approve a five-year agreement with the Red Cross, detailing what procedures should be followed in the case of a large-scale emergency.