Auxiliary police forces awarded grant for training

The Bellmore and North Bellmore Auxiliary Police units have been awarded grants of $1,000 each, to be used to fund officer training.

The grants were awarded by Town of Hempstead Supervisor Anthony Santino and Town Clerk Nasrin Ahmad, and accepted by Nassau County Auxiliary Police Sargent Marcelo Kreisel. The funding, which was also provided to Baldwin, East Meadow, Elmont, Five Towns, Lakeview, Levittown, Merrick, Oceanside, Roosevelt, Seaford, South Hempstead, Uniondale, Wantagh and West Hempstead, will be used by each unit to recruit, equip, and train its members.

“The assistance that the men and women of the Auxiliary Police provide to our great police departments directly contributes to making America’s largest township one of the safest places in which to live and raise a family,” said Santino. “Hempstead Town officials want to do everything possible to make our communities the safest place anywhere. These monies that we convey to local auxiliary police units are an investment in the safety of our families.”

“One of the things that makes Hempstead Town a great place to live is the selfless volunteers who step up to make our communities safer,” Ahmad agreed.

The auxiliary police program was created by federal law in the 1940s to help protect the homeland before, during and after an attack by enemy forces. Today, the force’s main mission is to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. They conduct routing community patrols in marked vehicles and also assist in activities such as crowd control, roadway crossing assistance and traffic control.

Auxiliary police volunteers now also are trained in the use of, and carry, the lifesaving overdose reversal drug naloxone, or Narcan.

If you are interested in joining your local Auxiliary Police Force please go to their website to fill out an application at http://pdcnaux.org/recruitment.html.