Now in its 15th year of service, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) continues to make an impact as an augmentation force for law enforcement and the San Diego community as a whole.
“It has turned into a major enhancement of the San Diego Police Department (SDPD),” said Don Walton, administrator of RSVP’s Western Division.
RSVP was created when a group of citizens in Rancho Bernardo suggested to the SDPD that a volunteer program would benefit the city. Then-Police Chief Jerry Sanders approved the idea. Rancho Bernardo graduated 21 volunteers from the first academy in June 1992.
Walton has been affiliated with RSVP for more than 12 years. He started the Western Division program, which includes Ocean Beach, Point Loma, Loma Portal, Hillcrest, Mission Hills and areas of North Park and Linda Vista.
Currently, RSVP consists of 12 programs across San Diego and boasts more than 500 volunteers. Walton said 11 of the subdivisions deal with community service and public interaction, while a traffic subdivision responds to vehicular-related incidents.
Among the variety of functions RSVP performs on a daily or weekly basis are checking on elderly people living alone, ensuring the security of registered vacation homes, bank observation checks and enforcing disabled parking laws. Walton said that with uniformed police officers already overwhelmed, these necessary tasks could not be done without the presence of RSVP.
“The duties that we perform every day citywide are things that the police department cannot possibly do,” he said.
Through their efforts, RSVP saves the police department both time and money, Walton said.
Annie Anderson, a police officer and the city’s coordinator of RSVP, said program volunteers save the police department 110,000 working hours per year. At an average of $18 per hour, that means the program saves the police department nearly $2 million annually.
Those over the age of 50 interested in becoming a member of RSVP can call police headquarters or any police substation for additional information. The time commitment involved is three eight-hour shifts per month.
“We’re always looking for new members,” Walton said.