You may see them driving police cars or walking a beat. They are dressed in a full police uniform, equipped with all the usual safety equipment. At first glance you may think it’s just a regular police officer working his regular shift. But, looks can be deceiving. It may be a Onalaska Police Department Reserve Officer, and there is nothing regular about that.

Reserve Officers are a unique breed of people. They generally are not content to play a passive role in life. They are civic minded and service oriented people who "get involved" for the betterment of their community. They are dedicated and motivated individuals who give of their time and energy to help make Onalaska a better place to live.

A successful reserve program, made up of citizen volunteers from within the community, stands as a symbol of the Onalaska Police Department’s commitment to community partnerships and teamwork to improve the quality of life within our city. Reserve officers are effective spokespersons in their neighborhoods, resulting in a better understanding and support of law enforcement. Conversely, their presence in the Department provides full-time officers with a deeper insight into all segments of the city’s population.

In many ways, Reserve Officers act to bridge the gap between the Department and the community, and in doing so, live up to the creed that to be a Reserve Officer is to be "twice the citizen". The Reserve Police Officer position is an un-represented volunteer classification. Reserve Officers receive specialized law enforcement training mandated by the State of Texas. They serve at the discretion of the Chief of Police and have full peace officer powers while on duty.

The function of the Reserve Unit has always been to support and augment the Department in providing basic police services to the community. Historically, this has been accomplished by the Reserve Officer working patrol, riding as a second person in a two-officer police car. However, new trends in Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving have resulted in Reserve Officers working a wide variety of special assignments in addition to their patrol duties.

Today it is not uncommon to find Reserve Officers working at any number of police operations and community events. You can find them assigned to details such as DUI check points, patrolling city parks, providing a police presence at various community outreach programs and non-profit events, working special gang enforcement and auto theft assignments, traffic and crowd control functions at large sporting events or concerts, or even working plain clothes assignments assisting in narcotics or prostitution operations.

The Onalaska Police Department is fortunate to have a Reserve Unit staffed by highly committed and dedicated individuals who take great pride in their work. Reserve Officers donate many hours of volunteer service at a cost savings to the City of Onalaska and it's citizens.