CIVILIANS USED ON POLICE DUTY
Police are boosting their thin blue line by putting civilians in uniform and paying them to perform low-level duties such as guarding crime scenes.
Ref. https://www.stuff.co.nz/hlc/1,,93498~3663954a10~,00.html
I have to agree about the uniform debate. There should be a level of responsibility associated with wearing a constable uniform. Other than that, I don't have a problem with civilians performing some 'police-type' duties.
I once saw a news story about a small retirement town in Florida. A lot of older folks were given the authority to patrol their neighborhoods in golf carts, looking for suspicious activity. They were given police radios to call in for help, or to call in something that didn't seem right. It gave these retired people something to do with their time, and also freed up the very small police force to tackle bigger issues. It seemed to work well for this community.
International Level: Envoy / Political Participation: 241 24.1%