The Madera County Sheriff’s Office will be accepting applications for its Citizen on Patrol (COP) unit, Sheriff John Anderson said Wednesday. For those interested, two informational meetings are set for next week.
The first will be Wednesday in the sheriff’s substation, 48267 Liberty Drive in Oakhurst, at 6 p.m. The second will be Oct. 2 in the sheriff’s annex, 28281 Ave. 14 in Madera, at 6 p.m.
The COP concept started in 1999, with one unmarked car and a couple of volunteers. More than a decade later, that one unit has grown into an entire fleet of marked cars. Volunteers donate time and money to ensure necessary training and uniforms. Members patrol their designated beats in a COP-marked patrol unit, and can be seen routinely patrolling areas that include both sides of the valley floor and the mountain communities of Oakhurst, North Fork, Coarsegold, and Bass Lake.
They also conduct house and welfare checks, assist in Search and Rescue missions and man traffic control during criminal investigations. They are trained as first emergency responders, and many are FEMA certified. Most recently, COP volunteers staffed roadblocks during both the Junction and Courtney fires...