Page 6 ■ Thursday, February 23, 2012


BAKKEN NEWS


Tioga sets up police reserves


By JILL SCHRAMM For the Associated Press


growing demands on its police force and no money to add offi cers, the city of Tio- ga turned to a solution not often tried in North Dakota. About six months ago, four volun-


teers with the new Tioga Police Reserve Offi cer Association took to the streets to back up the city’s fi ve-offi cer police de- partment. “The last three months, it has made a


thefts and other incidents are down due to the presence of the additional offi cers, he said.


“What we are looking for is the average, good-hearted citizen that wants to make


a real difference.” – Reserve offi cer and police commissioner, Jeff Spivey


mundson, City Commission president. “There’s been a lot of positive feed-


People feel safer, added Nathan Ger-


back,” he said. Sustaining a program that demands


a lot of its volunteers doesn’t appear to be an issue. The program so far is get- ting plenty of interest from prospective reservists, Germundson said. Tioga has limited the number of re-


car TIOGA, N.D. (AP) — Faced with


servists to keep training manageable, but Spivey expects the association eventu- ally to double to eight reservists. He also would like to see the regular force in- creased to six offi cers. Candidates must be at least age 21 and hold a high school degree. They must pass a criminal background check, medical physical, drug test and be eligi- ble to receive a concealed weapons per- mit. Candidates must pass interviews by the board and police chief. “What we are looking for is the aver-


huge impact,” said Jeff Spivey, a reserve offi cer and police commissioner on the Tioga City Commission. Fights,


age, good-hearted citizen that wants to make a real difference,” Spivey said. Spivey recalled responding to a vehicle


crash during his fi rst week as a reservist. He and an offi cer with the police depart- ment restored a victim’s breathing and stabilized him for medical personnel. “That night when I went home, I felt good about myself,” he said. “It was a good day. You made a small difference.” His son, Bobby Spivey, also has vol-


unteered as a police reservist. His experi- ence infl uenced him to leave his job as a mechanic for a career in law enforce- ment. He plans to join the Tioga depart- ment full time. “I have seen a different side of every-


investigating the potential for a reserve force in Tioga. He said he has lived in other large cities around the country that have had police reserves and fi gured it could work in rural North Dakota. North Dakota’s other reserve forces


thing,” Spivey said. “What I like is to help people.” Jeff Spivey originally took the lead in


LAUREN DONOVAN/Tribune


In this Tribune fi le photo from Oct. 4, 2011, a unit is set up in a new housing project developed in the oil zone near Tioga.


are the Bismarck Mounted Police and Cass County Sheriff Reserves. Like a volunteer ambulance squad or fi re department, police reserves rely


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to get training locally through qualifi ed trainers with the police force. Reservists have the same authority as regular offi - cers but they cannot make off-duty ar- rests as regular offi cers can. In Tioga, reservists have been invalu- able in assisting with prisoner transports to the jail in Williston. Reservists also patrol on weekends and evenings. They have backed up offi cers on calls such as fi ghts, where offi cer safety and quick de-


on trained volunteers and the fi nancial backing of the community. A minimum level of police qualifi cation takes 65 hours of training. More than 120 hours are required to reach a level that enables reservists to work in teams of two, and additional training is needed to patrol solo. Tioga’s reservist candidates are able


escalation of a situation are important. A fi ve-member board governs Tioga’s


reserve association. The reserve force owns six, fully equipped police vehicles, jointly sharing their use with the regular force.


the program have come from private sources. A local sales-tax fund also made a contribution, and the city picks up ve- hicle fuel and uniform costs. Tioga still has a ways to go with its


The majority of donations that fund


law enforcement capacity because the city continues to grow, but it is on the right track with the reserve association, Jeff Spivey said. “Was it born out of desperation? Yes.


Are we trying to do it right? Yes,” he said. “I believe it would work anywhere if you monitor it well and if you do it right.”


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