The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office is proud to provide and operate a Reserve Deputy program.
The reserve program offers qualified citizens a unique opportunity to give back to their community in a fun, rewarding, often fast paced environment. The program is an important element of the Sheriff’s Office, providing assistance in many areas as well as functioning as a training ground for many of Hood River County’s future full-time deputies.
Reserves perform a variety of functions and are presented with an opportunity to experience many of the different roles full-time employees of the Sheriff’s Office have. The most common function reserves participate in, is patrol activities. Reserve Deputies start out in plain clothes and ride with regular deputies on their shift. As they continue in their training, reserves are uniformed and armed. Reserves take calls for service, make traffic stops, serve papers and make arrests performing the same tasks, as full-time deputies are required to do. Reserves progress through three status levels. The highest level allows the reserve to work independently in a patrol car and perform the duties of the Sheriff’s Office.
In addition to patrol duties, reserves will be called upon for a variety of other tasks as needed by the Sheriff’s Office. Reserves are often called to act as security at major crime scenes, perform various plain clothes or surveillance activities with the investigations division. Additionally, they work with the Marine, Off Highway Vehicle Patrol, Forest Patrol, and Search and Rescue operations. Further, the reserve program runs and operates the snowmobile program in the winter months.
Reserve deputies are also called upon to perform other security details throughout the community. Reserves act as security at many of Hood River Valley High School’s functions including dances and football games. Further they perform traffic control and security functions at parades, sporting events and gatherings.
A reserve deputy is a volunteer position. On rare occasions, opportunities for paid events may arise. If hired, applicants are expected to participate and attend required training and meetings. Additionally, there is a minimum hourly requirement that must be met to maintain employment as a reserve.
The reserve deputy program is an invaluable program that is integral to the Sheriff’s Office operations. Without their volunteer service, the HRCSO would not be able to function at the level they do.