By the thousands, volunteers across the United States sign up to assist their local law enforcement agencies as reserve police officers and sheriff's deputies. Most perform routine duties in unpaid anonymity. A few become known as heroes or rogues. Among that vast contingent of reservists was Robert Bates, a 73-year-old insurance executive, who
Oklahoma Shooting Puts Spotlight On Volunteer Cops
There are an estimated 400,000 reserve police officers – volunteer cops – in the US, according to an FBI study. A major rationale for the reserve programs is to provide extra manpower for budget-strapped police departments.