Our VIPS assist both our officers and the members of our community through a variety of different ways throughout the year such as performing station duties, providing vacation checks on homes, directing traffic, assisting with vehicle lock-outs, providing funeral escorts, assisting during community events, and conducting extra patrols of our neighborhoods and business districts.
By performing these duties, VIPS not only are providing a valuable service to our community but are also allowing our police officers to focus on traffic and law enforcement.
In 2020, Munster VIPS volunteered approximately 1,000 hours of their time despite the health situation. Our VIPS are NOT armed and do not possess any police powers, however, they are a very important part of our community policing and crime prevention efforts in Munster. Residents who participate in our VIPS Program are provided with appropriate training for the duties that they wish to assist with and are also provided with uniforms and necessary equipment.
The Munster Police Department would like to thank all of our dedicated VIPS for the great service that they provide to our community throughout the year. For more information about how you can get involved with our VIPS Program, please contact Officer James Ghrist at 219-836-6639 or jghrist@munster.org.