A volunteer program will help Wichita police keep an eye on the Arkansas River in the downtown area.  The Volunteers in Policing program will use graduates of the Citizen Police Academy to patrol the riverbank from 13th Street North to Lincoln, and they’ll also patrol Riverside Park.   They will ride golf carts along the river and provide information and resources to people who need assistance, and they will also report crime and suspicious activity to police.

The program is modeled after the Greenbelt Safety Program in Boise, Idaho.   Wichita city council member Cindy Claycomb said the program will not only enhance the patrol presence along the river, but it also sends a message that the community is dedicated to safety.   Claycomb said she and council member Bryan Frye heard about the Greenbelt program during a visit to Boise last year with a Chamber of Commerce group, and they worked with the police department to start a similar program in Wichita.

Wichita police chief Gordon Ramsay said the volunteers will be the eyes and ears of the police department.   They won’t carry weapons and won’t get involved in incidents, but they will notify police of any problems.

Police lieutenant Joe Kennedy said the volunteers went through three hours of training and they will be required to operate in pairs as they patrol on the golf carts.  There was an initial plan for a Friday-Saturday-Sunday schedule, but Kennedy said the volunteers will be able to determine their own schedule for patrols that could run throughout the week.

The president of the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, Corey Reed, said there are 11 volunteers who will get the program started, and at least eight others are expected to be trained in the near future.