The Sheriff's Auxiliary completed it's first round of patrols to protect against livestock theft in the early morning hours of 16 February. The 16th was a full moon, which is a hig-risk period for rustling. Volunteers, coordinating with County Dispatch, spent four hours covering approximately 100 square miles of northwest Lawrence County. The Livestock Patrol program allows the Sheriff's Office to more effectively use limited numbers of deputies in the late night and early morning.
Cathi Vought found this gem in a report of the typhoon response in the Phillipines, "The Yolanda Tragedy: 7 Lessons in Early Emergency Response". Volunteers were used by the local police to stretch their forces and keep order. The following quote is from roughly half-way through the article:
This page describes services we provide to the community and how to request them. We operate under the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, so in many cases if you request assistance from the Sheriff's Office (for help with event security, for instance), have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sheriff's Office or a Mutual Aid Agreement, you will receive our services automatically through your existing agreements. In some cases, you may wish to request our services directly. We also provide some services or benefits to members of the Sheriff's Office or their families.
The Federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (the court with jurisdiction over the Western United States) released a decision today (PDF) in Peruta v. San Diego striking down a California requirement for showing "good cause" to obtain a firearm carry permit, affirming that to "bear arms" is as much of a protected right as keeping them.
At our January meeting, the Sheriff commissioned the Sheriff's Auxiliary's first Chaplain: Lt. Junior Grade Brian Moomey has been a Branson Police Officer, former Pastor of Impact Christian Center in Aurora, a prison guard, and a hospice Chaplain. As LCS Auxiliary's Unit Chaplain, Lt. Moomey will help us to recruit and train additional Chaplains and Chaplains' assistants.