Citizen force stretches further the long arm of the law.

POULSBO — A trio of Poulsbo citizens hit the streets armed with handheld radios and matching charcoal polos last Thursday.

Barbara Parsons, Bobbi Wiprud and Glenn Wiprud Jr. weren’t out to cause trouble, they were out to stop it — and to assist the men and women in blue who do the same.

The three are members of the Poulsbo Police Citizen Volunteers, a group of 15 who keep an eye on Little Norway, all for the greater good.

From handicap parking enforcement to missing persons searches, the citizen volunteers act as extra sets of problem-stopping senses for the city’s paid officers, said officer Shawn Ziemann.

“They do a lot of the little jobs that officers used to be required to do. It has freed us to up do a little more on patrol,” he said. “They really act as another set of eyes out there. If we’re looking for somebody, whether it be a criminal, a lost child or an escapee from the Martha & Mary dementia unit, they really help us out being another car patrolling out there.”

The program began in 1996, and was the first of its kind in the area, he added.

“We are ambassadors to the city of Poulsbo. We want visitors in our town, as well as citizens of this town, to feel good when they see us,” Bobbi Wiprud said. “It’s such a satisfying experience.”

Patrolling some of Poulsbo’s prominent commercial areas, as well as near its banks, she explains they have to keep an ear out for the crackle of the radio.

“If we hear anything that starts with a six, we have to listen,” she said. That’s because Poulsbo’s officers, including their volunteer van, are each represented in the system with a number beginning with six. When a call comes out, citizen volunteers are either part of the response, or they stay away from the area, depending on the danger involved. While they’re often put to use during traffic accidents and large events to help control and direct the flow of cars, other incidents they’re steered clear from so as not to be in harm’s way, added Parsons.

While commercial areas are a priority for them, the group also tries to tour through residential neighborhoods.

“We like to hit as many of those areas as possible so that the public sees we’re looking out for their best interest,” Parsons said. And if they do discover a problem, or notice something suspicious, they give the department’s officers a call.

“Most of us just heard about it through either the paper or other people,” Parsons said of the program. She’s been volunteering for six years and is the group coordinator. “Most of the people that come basically want to give back of their time.”

Heading into a local neighborhood, she explains one of their duties: house checks.

When citizens leave for vacation, they can sign up for a free service which entails the volunteers keeping an eye on their home and property. They make sure doors are locked, windows are closed, and pick up newspapers left on the stoop so no tell-tale signs of the owner’s absence remain.

“We are pretty much like security for their house until they get home,” Parsons said. “It is a nice idea because you just get that extra feeling of calm.”

Wiprud said being a volunteer is a way not only to know the town well, but to get to know its inhabitants. Even visitors looking for directions will find assistance from them — probably more than they bargain for: “We don’t tell them, we take them,” she said.

During Christmastime, the volunteers also make themselves a known presence among downtown shops. One story shared by Wiprud illustrates their purpose well.

“We were driving by Central Market and there was a crowd of people there,” she related. “A gentleman had tripped on one of the orange curbs and he was bleeding about the head.”

Fully prepared, the volunteers stayed at the scene until the firefighters arrived, and were able to assist thanks to their CPR and first aid training.

The group, which splits two four-hour shifts a day, five days a week, is on hand even when called by the department at home to lend a hand.

“Our group is so wonderful, within five minutes there will be five or six of us ready to go,” Wiprud said.

The Poulsbo Police Department is always accepting applications for citizen volunteers. Volunteers must be 21 or older, have a good driving record and have no criminal convictions. For more information, call the department at (360) 779-3113.