They are  not line law enforcement officers.

Nor are they wannabes.

They are not paid support staff.

Yet they are  more than volunteers.

They help make sure the blue line isn’t stretched too thin by tackling tasks such as traffic control at significant accidents to helping secure crime scene perimeters.

They are the main reason why a long list of quality of life crimes from graffiti abatement to shopping cart retrieval are being tackled in a fairly timely manner in Manteca.

And they handle tasks such as delivering documents to the district attorney’s office, filing chores, and such that free up support staff  to make the effort of patrol officers as effective and efficient as possible in working to keep the community safe and livable.

They are the Manteca SHARP volunteers.

And while the acronym stands for Seniors Helping Area Residents and Police, the volunteer unit is open to anyone 40 years of age or older.

Steve Tompkins — a SHARP volunteer for the past 12 years — noted the group pondered the possibility of changing the name to reflect that service is not restricted to seniors, but opted not to do so. That’s because for almost three decades the two words “Manteca SHARP” have been identified with the most high-profile volunteer organization in Manteca.

Manteca SHARP was the first volunteer unit of its kind in Northern California when it was formed on Sept. 3, 1991. At one point the unit ranks swelled to 90 members.

In recent years membership had stabilized between 45 and 60 volunteers. But then the pandemic hit.

The unit’s activities were put on hold. During SHARP’s hiatus, it should be noted, graffiti and other quality of life issues they were tasked with addressing lingered significantly longer.

The SHARP unit is now tasked with rebuilding its membership that has dwindled down to 26.

The unit needs to be almost twice that size at minimum to effectively serve the department and community on the  level they did before the pandemic. At the same time the city’s growth has added to the police department’s workload increasing the need for volunteer assistance.

A minimum membership of 45 will allowed the SHARP unit to effectively tackle  a long list of tasks.

Long list of ways the SHARP

volunteers are of assistance

Those tasks include:

*Assist with vehicle abatement.

*Handle shopping cart abatement.

*Oversee graffiti abatement.

*Are tasked with temporary yard sign and advertising sign abatement.

*Conduct vacation house checks as requested.

*Assist with searches for missing children and adults.

*Work as school safety patrols.

*Serve as extra sets of eyes via daily neighborhood street patrols.

*Conduct shopping center and bike path patrols.

*Help maintain integrity of crime and fire scene perimeters established by the police and fire departments.

*Perform street closures assignments for Manteca Police, city events, and parades.

*Deliver and retrieve paperwork and evidence for the city attorney, district attorney, and courthouse.

*Deploy radar trailers.

*Assist animal control.

*Help with clerical duties and special projects.

There is also a unique team within the ranks of SHARP dubbed “Rapid Response Team”. That are especially trained to be able to deploy quickly and safely on a 24/7 basis as directed by police dispatch to any incident in the city calling for additional traffic control support to police or fire personnel on scene.

That is especially critical at times when patrol ranks are thin such as early morning hours when there is a major accident scene investigation and the department can ill afford to have all available officers tied up due to the need for long-term traffic control.

To qualify as a volunteer for the SHARP unit that works under the authority of the Manteca police chief, one must be at least 40 years old, complete an application, pass a background check and fingerprint scan, be in reasonably good health as well as have a valid California driver’s license with a good driving record.

You must be willing to invest at least four hours a week as a volunteer.

You also must be prepared to receive a minimum of 30 hours of training before going on active patrol.

In addition, you may receive additional training in police, radio and traffic control procedures, optional CPR, and first aid.

Neighborhood patrols and other such functions are done in pairs or alone within the city limits to help serve as an extra set of eyes for police that will respond when needed.

SHARP members receive no assignments that will place them in danger.

Uniforms are required and are furnished by SHARP.

If you are interested in join the SHARP team you can call 456-8240 for additional information. Leave a name and phone number. They will contact you to answer any questions or set up an appointment to fill out an application.

SHARP volunteer Stephen Tompkins will be providing an occasional column in the Bulletin featuring volunteers and the various tasks they do that help keep Manteca a safer and cleaner community.
 

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com