The Brea Police Department offers many services and protection to Breans besides fighting crime and ticketing those blockheads who run red lights at State College Boulevard and Lambert Road.
Besides the red-light runners, our police officers deal with everything from home and business robberies, family fights and much more that takes up a lot of their time and resources helping keep Brea safe.
Many of their non-crime-related public services are performed by police-trained people who live or work in Brea: Volunteers In Police Service or VIPS.
They are blue-uniformed men and women patrolling in VIPS vehicles, helping with traffic and crowd control at Concerts in the Park, the Nutcracker Craft Boutique, Brea Fest, Brea Country Fair, the Christmas tree lighting, the downtown car shows, several activities at the Brea Senior Center, Brea schools and other events.
They direct traffic and manage the crowds that come to see the Christmas decorations in the Eagle Hills neighborhood.
I think one of the most important duties of the VIPS is conducting vacation home checks. If you are away on vacation or business, contact the Brea Police Department and VIPS will regularly stop by while you are gone and assure your property is secure and no one has set up camp on your patio or broken into your home.
According to Brea Police Department’s Professional Standards Lt. Christopher Haddad, the VIPS program evolved from the Community Action Patrol or CAP program started in the early 1990s. It was one of the first volunteer-based law enforcement support groups in California. At that time, the Brea department also served Yorba Linda, as did the CAPs. When Yorba Linda’s policing was transferred to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, CAPs evolved into VIPS for Brea.
To become a VIPS, you must live or work in Brea, be at least 25 years old, have a valid California driver’s license and a clean criminal history, be able to participate in monthly meetings and events and be enthusiastic about working with the community.
Haddad explained that there is not a formal training program for VIPS.
“They are trained for specific duties that they are going to perform,” said Haddad. He further explained that some VIPS are trained to assist with large events, but don’t drive VIPS vehicles or do vacation house checks because they aren’t trained for those assignments.
If you want to serve in patrol activities, you must complete driver and basic safety training. Once trained, those VIPS can conduct vacation house checks, community patrols and assist with special event foot-beat patrols.
Other VIPS may help in the department’s records division and patrol services.
“Since everyone is a volunteer, we try to have them complete activities that they are interested in and comfortable doing,” said Haddad.
Since January, VIPS have volunteered 4,072 hours with the city at a cost savings of approximately $121,626. They have conducted 801 vacation checks and responded to eight call-outs to help with traffic control when roadways need closing due to officers conducting traffic investigations or the fire department is putting out a vehicle or residential fire.
“These call-outs can occur at all hours of the day and night,” said Haddad. And VIPS answer that call.
Of the 17 current VIPS, seven are women, including Debbie Hobday.
In July 2024, Hobday was honored for completing 500 hours volunteering as a VIPS, and at present her total hours are more than 790 hours.
Hobday loves being a VIPS and her favorite duty is assisting at DUI auto checkpoints from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
“We hand people informational pamphlets while they wait,” said Hobday. “I’m a night owl and love working that shift with the officers.”
Ready to join Hobday and the other VIPS and be another helping hand for the Brea PD? To learn more, visit cityofbrea.gov/398/Volunteer.
Terri Daxon is a freelance writer and the owner of Daxon Marketing Communications. She gives her perspective on Brea issues twice a month. Contact her at daxoncomm@gmail.com.