Vail's Volunteer Police Force So Successful, They're Recruiting

VAIL, Colo. (CBS4)- They protect and serve, but they aren't paid and they don't carry weapons. The Town of Vail said its volunteer police force is so successful, they're looking for new recruits.

The police force counts on the volunteer help when the population swells during ski season. The volunteers help the police department keep a handle on fighting crime and keeping the public safe.

"We are the eyes and ears of the police department," said Vail Volunteer Police Coordinator Judy Haeberle. "So the police can do the police work."

The 15 volunteer uniformed police officers have been hitting the streets of Vail for about a year. The patrol handles many non-crime related issues.

"When people are on vacation or second homeowners in this town, one of the things we'll do is swing by, check on the property, make sure everything looks good," said one Volunteer Police Officer.

"They got a burst pipe and I think they had about $300,000 worth of damage," said Volunteer Police Officer Peter Leslie.

In the winter, volunteer officers concentrate where the population is and try to keep Vail Village as safe as possible.

"Making sure we keep the character of Vail as a pedestrian area. It's very important to the guests and we don't want vehicles running up and down the street," said Leslie.

The program has been so successful it's expanding.

"We're going to start recruitment again because with the Alpine Championships coming in 2015 we need a lot of volunteers," said Haeberle.

Each volunteer goes through several days of training at the Vail Police Department.