You can spot them in white patrol vehicles donning light blue polo shirts and badges that read “Senior Volunteer Officer.”

As you see them driving in your neighborhood, the exterior of the vehicle offers little insight into what’s really happening within — the low hum of a police dispatcher in the background, a soft thud as the stack of investigative files shift as the car turns, and the sound of scribbling on a small clipboard. This environment exemplifies a day in the life of these officers.

Barry Lander (in passenger seat in picture above) and Paul Andreen (driving in picture) are two retired senior volunteer patrol (RSVP) officers, part of the San Diego Police Department program. Both are locals in San Diego and joined the program looking to make an impact in their community during their retired years.

“I worked in judiciary for the federal government for 40 years. Going cold turkey from doing things that are meaningful, it was hard,” said Lander. “I was looking to give back to the community.”

Andreen and his wife became volunteers after their son joined the SDPD. Andreen is now a second-generation RSVP officer (his father was also an officer in his hometown).

Andreen and Lander make up a duo that covered the Thursday shift on April 21. However, prior to COVID-19 they wouldn’t be the only ones on the road.

The program patrols from State Route 163 to Santee and Interstate 8 to State Route 52. On Andreen and Lander’s shift, they can drive anywhere from Allied Gardens to La Mesa, to Tierrasanta, to Grantville, to Clairemont depending on the schedule for the day.

The program is hoping to return to their routes prior to COVID-19, according to co-administrator Bryon Hodge.

“We are very limited in our people who can do patrols because of the COVID-19 issues. You have to remember we’re all seniors,” said Hodge.

The force was inactive for a year-and-a-half during 2020 and 2021 because of the risk of exposure. Prior to COVID-19, there would be four patrols a day, meaning eight officers out in the field taking a section of the wide area.

But now, according to Andreen, one to two shifts are doing it all.

“We’re doing three areas and going Downtown in the same six-hour shift,” said Andreen.

The typical tasks they complete on the road — in addition to driving around neighborhoods — are helping at community events like the Tierrasanta Kiwanis parade (May 21), delivering legal cases to the district attorney’s office before 8 a.m., helping with traffic control, writing parking tickets, and, of greatest significance, the You Are Not Alone (YANA) program.

YANA is a service provided to San Diego senior citizens who live alone.

Officers make weekly visits to individuals as part of the program to make sure they are safe and well. When the force was inactive due to COVID-19, the YANA individuals would receive phone calls during their scheduled visit, but now the officers are back in person.

The impact of this program is significant, according to Andreen.

“I had one [YANA participant] mention to me she hadn’t eaten in two days. I asked her if I could have a look in her kitchen and there was no food,” said Andreen. “We contacted the person on her contact [and she received help].”

On their Thursday patrol, Andreen and Lander visited Lura, a YANA participant.

“It’s nice to have somebody to come by and talk to,” said Lura. “I don’t have anybody to talk to all day or every day. It’s nice to be able to see a live person.”

Although they get to interact and visit with these residents, RSVP officers are a non-confrontational force.

As Hodge explained in an example, “In the event that someone were to come to us as we’re writing a ticket, we won’t give them a ticket.”

Although they are part of law enforcement, this job is not synonymous to the duties of the police department. Their main goal is to be stewards of helping the community, according to Lander.

In Lander’s previous shift, he helped with traffic control at Hearst Elementary School. The school was having trouble with cars speeding in the main thorough-way that students would cross to get to class.

“We saw the cars slow down [due to their presence] and what we got was thank you from parents and the teacher at the back gate,” said Lander. “As crazy as it may have seemed when we headed over there, we walked away thinking that was worth doing.”

Although the officer numbers are starting to rise again as the force returns to the field, Hodge said he’s hoping to get multiple patrols on the road and their academy training back to its original state.

“I’m going on my 13th year [as an officer],” said Hodge. “We’ve had members that have been there for 20 years. Once they sign up, they find it’s very gratifying. It’s not the most exciting thing to do, but it’s the gratification for a senior to get out in the community and contribute to the safety of our communities.”

To learn more about the RSVP program or apply today, contact the officer in charge at (619) 446-1016/(619)446-1014 or visit: sandiego.gov/police/recruiting/volunteer#rsvp.

– Elaine Alfaro is a journalism student at Point Loma Nazarene University and a former intern for the La Mesa Courier.