On any given morning in the Westchester area, you might spot a small black-and-white BMW i3 cruising the streets. It’s
not quite a police car, but official enough to turn heads. Inside, you’ll find two volunteers in uniform, LAPD radio in hand,
serving as an extra set of eyes and ears for the community.
They’re part of the Volunteer Community Patrol (VCP), a growing initiative within LAPD’s Pacific Division that’s turning
everyday residents into an organized, trained force for neighborhood safety. But for many involved, this effort didn’t begin
with official badges or marked vehicles, it started with neighbors simply looking out for one another.
Just a note: The people interviewed and discussed in this article prefer to use just their first names for privacy reasons.
“I would say that we’ve unofficially been doing this for several years now,” says Alison, one of the most active members.
“Some neighbors started a WhatsApp group a couple of years ago for Westchester and Playa del Rey as a neighborhood
watch. It grew to about 950 members.”
That group quickly became more than just a message thread. When incidents popped up like suspicious activity, thefts, or
disturbances, some members didn’t just post about it. They responded.
“Several of us would jump in cars and if something came up, we’d kind of do community policing ourselves,” Alison says.
The transition from informal vigilance to an official LAPD-supported program came when Captain Eric Eppolito arrived at
Pacific Division last summer, bringing with him a model that had already succeeded elsewhere.
“Several of us jumped at the opportunity to make it official,” says Alison.
From Neighbors to Trained Volunteers
Today, the program is still small but highly active.
“There’s about ten people that are signed up, and there’s about six that are very active,” says Susan. “You’ll always see
two of us in full uniform. We go in pairs.”
Those uniforms are no joke.
“It’s an LAPD volunteer uniform, so navy blue-ish dark pants, white shirt with patches sewn on, down to the black boots
and the black Sam Brown belt. So, we are official,” says Susan.
But before they ever hit the streets, volunteers go through a surprisingly rigorous training process.
“We did slow driver training, literally the course that the officers do as well,” Susan says.
That includes navigating a serpentine driving course, forward and backward maneuvers, and parallel parking–on both
sides of the street.
“We had to do it at night, forwards and backwards. It was terrible,” Alison adds with a laugh.
Beyond driving, volunteers study LAPD protocols, learn radio communication, and train with official equipment.
“We got a bunch of LAPD manuals so we could learn the phonetic alphabet and the lingo,” Alison says. If you’re not familiar, the phonetic alphabet uses common words for letters, like Adam for A or Zebra for Z, so they can be
clearly understood over a crackly radio.
When on duty, they operate within the system, checking out their vehicle and radio from Pacific Station and reporting to the
watch commander.
“The equipment is on loan. We go out, and then put ourselves on patrol through the radio,” Susan says.
What They Actually Do
The role of the Volunteer Community Patrol is not enforcement, it’s presence, observation, and communication.
“This group is really the group that goes out and tries to help by just being seen in the community,” Susan says.
That visibility matters. In neighborhoods where police resources are stretched, VCP helps fill the gaps.
“The police can’t be everywhere,” Susan says. “We can do our part.”
Their work ranges from checking on incidents to relaying real-time information to officers en route.
“We were able to check in with a traffic collision, advise them that there’s no injuries, and that way the unit’s aware of what
they’re responding to,” Stephan says.
They also have the advantage of time.
“The police are pulled in so many directions,” Alison says. “We can say, let’s go see if we can find that missing person, and
if it’s all we do for two hours, it’s all we do for two hours.”
That focus allows them to follow through in ways traditional response units often can’t, like canvassing neighborhoods,
talking to residents, and staying on a scene long after officers are dispatched elsewhere.
A Life-Saving First Day
Sometimes that persistence pays off in extraordinary ways.
On their very first day of official patrol, Alison and her partner made a discovery that underscored exactly why the program
matters.
LAPD, were able to unite her with her family.
“There was a silver alert for a missing elderly woman who was diabetic,” Alison recalls.
Police had been searching overnight, even deploying a helicopter, but without success.
While responding to another call near Costco, Alison had a thought. “We said, hey, wasn’t this near where that critical
missing person was last seen?” she says.
Moments later, they spotted a woman sitting at a bus stop near Mindanao and Glencoe.
“We said, no way, that can’t possibly be her,” says Alison. “We looked back at the description of her clothing and said,
that’s got to be her.”
They turned the car around, approached carefully, and radioed it in.
“Within 15 minutes, there was her daughter running across the parking lot to her, and there was a crying reunion, and we
had done it, we found her!” she says.
For Alison, the moment wasn’t about heroics, it was about just being present.
“A lot of it’s just luck. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” she says.
Why They Do It
Despite the uniforms and patrol cars, none of the volunteers see themselves as specially equipped to do this kind of work.
They’re just regular people.
“We’re definitely not superheroes,” Susan says.
For her, the motivation is deeply personal. The VCP patrol team is currently 10 members strong and they’re looking to add to their team.
“I’ve always cared about where I live. In my perfect world, I’m going to do anything I can to protect my neighbors,
myself, my home,” says Susan.
For Alison, it’s frustration turned into action.
“I get very angry when I hear stories of people coming into our neighborhood and burglarizing homes and stealing from
hardworking people,” she says.
The theft of tools from work trucks, in particular, hits close to home.
“That is a trigger for me. There are hardworking people, and they’re getting things stolen right out of their trucks while
they are working,” she says. “I want to do what I can to make sure that this does not happen on my watch.”
For Stephan, the path began with a long-standing interest in public safety and listening to police scanners, but also
personal experience. “My neighbors got broken into on both sides of my property,” he says adding that the experience was too close for
comfort.
Now, through VCP, he’s able to turn that interest into action.
“We’re able to actually get out there and make a larger difference than what we were able to do, just unofficially,” he
says.
Their work has even started to attract attention beyond the neighborhood. Alison says the group was recently
approached about the possibility of turning their patrols into a reality show.
“Somebody reached out last week asking if we’d have any interest, because they heard about our escapades,” she
says. “One of the community members said, ‘Oh my god, the stuff you guys do is heroic, and would make a great show.’”
While nothing is in motion yet, Alison says the idea speaks to just how compelling their real-life work has already
become.
A Community Effort
One of the most powerful aspects of the program is the relationship between the patrol and the community it serves.
“We make sure to let the group know when we’re out patrolling,” Alison says. “It’s a really wonderful relationship. They
can be our additional eyes and ears.”
That collaboration creates faster response times and a stronger sense of collective responsibility.
“When they need us, we can get the police there very quickly, so it’s mutually beneficial,” she says.
Susan says the program has also strengthened ties with the LAPD itself.
“It has completely opened up the lines of communication with Pacific Division and our community,” she says.
The department’s support has been crucial.
“They’ve embraced it! And you know what? I think it’s amazing. I’m so proud,” says Susan.
Looking Ahead
For now, the Volunteer Community Patrol remains a small but committed group. The goal, however, is expansion.
“We want to get more cars, more radios, more people, more patrol.” Susan says.
The plan is to bring in volunteers from across Pacific Division, people who know their neighborhoods as intimately as
these early members know Westchester.
“The goal is really to get more people involved in other parts so that they can also go out and patrol comfortably, and
protect their little part of our enclave,” Susan says.
Because at its core, the program isn’t about policing, it’s about ownership. Neighbors protecting neighbors. And in
Westchester, that mindset is already making a difference.
Anyone interested in joining the Volunteer Community Patrol can contact Sgt. Brian Cook at 36258@LAPD.ONLINE.
By Shanee Edwards