The following is from Major Eric Vought, Commander of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Auxiliary, and is posted with his permission. Comprised of volunteers who serve their community of Lawrence County, Missouri, the Sheriff’s Auxiliary is not law enforcement. However, it is organized under the Office of the Sheriff, with officers commissioned by the Sheriff. As such, these volunteers help organize, run a training program, and serve as a resource pool for the county sheriff to call upon and deputize as necessary in an emergency situation.
Vought explains that, “Lawrence County, Mo. now has an active Sheriff’s Auxiliary, (re)organized in 2012 after the original was disbanded sometime in the 90′s. It is also, as far as we know, the only *armed* citizen’s auxiliary in the country currently working under law enforcement. Our purpose is to provide trained volunteers to augment the Sheriff’s Office during disaster operations and to provide new capabilities from the community (currently communications support, intelligence, & chaplains) during routine operations.”
“We deployed alongside the Mount Vernon PD to provide nighttime security patrols during Apple Butter Makin’ Days event, developed the intelligence/threat analysis for the event, assisted with parade-route security during the day (alongside CERT), and helped locate lost children in the crowds. At the moment, we are gearing up for our first livestock theft patrols to increase the Sheriff’s ability to detect and stop cattle rustling.”
In response to the recent Missouri Tenth article entitled, Springfield, Mo. to consider using National Guard for Law Enforcement, Vought says that, “To my mind, such an organization in Greene County is the first and better way to handle the problem. When Law Enforcement must call for assistance, and sometimes it does, you want it to come, as much as possible, from within the community itself and be supported *by* the community, not imposed from outside. That requires a substantial commitment to training, organization, and exercise, but it is well worth the cost. Greene County already has a CERT team, a small VIPS (Volunteers In Police Service) program, as well as ARES volunteers. It should take the next step and start organizing specially trained and equipped volunteers to deploy alongside law enforcement.”
“If still more is needed— as sometimes it is— and the National Guard is duly called up… well, one of the LCS Auxiliary’s anticipated tasks is the ability to embed Auxiliary Officers in National Guard units to provide local guides, give the Sheriff direct representation in their local operations, and patch the National Guard into local professional and volunteer communications systems to ensure that the response does what it needs to do, uses local resources as much as possible, and is cognizant of local laws and authority.”
To learn more: For more information on the inspiring and encouraging involvement of citizens working with local authorities in Lawrence County— and how you can help— see their website: http://lcmoauxiliary.org .
