Citizens Offering Police Support (C.O.P.S) program is part of the USA Freedom Corp initiative with the goal of helping communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to crime, natural disasters and other emergencies. Citizens Corps includes five groups: Neighborhood Watch, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Medical reserve Corps, Fire Corps, and the Volunteers in Police Services (VIPS) program.
Longview Hills already has the Neighborhood Watch program, and CERT, as well as our volunteer fireman, Jim Rose and several volunteers with the Oregon State Police. Some of the residents are now forming the volunteer police group (VIPS), as shown in the photo above (Bill Furgason is also included). Ed Simon is heading up our group and we are all looking forward to this new opportunity to help our community. Some of our duties include: writing disabled parking citations, locating and logging in graffiti, traffic control (when extra help is needed), data entry and help with computer software and programming (if possible). We will also be visible to tourists as "goodwill ambassadors" and help out during busy times in the Nye Beach and Bayfront areas. We are all very excited and don't know exactly what we will eventually be doing, but everything we do means more time for the Newport Police officers to spend time doing the important job they have been trained to do, leaving some of the "mundane" work for us. Not bad for a bunch of old guys, huh?
