San Bernardino Police Department recognizes Reserve, Citizen Patrol units

On Friday, January 24^th the San Bernardino Police Department’s (SBPD) Police Reserve and Citizen Patrol units held their annual Awards Recognition Banquet, recognizing members for their dedication, loyalty, and service to the Police Department and the communities they serve.  The banquet was held at The Mexico Café in San Bernardino, which has been a long-time supporter of local law enforcement.

Many of the Police Reserve Officers have been with the SBPD for several years.  Reserve Officers predominantly maintain regular jobs and careers outside of the Department, but there are a few who are retired full-time officers who continue their service to the SBPD in this capacity. 

Reserve Captain Warren Scheibe has been a Police Reserve Officer since 1983 and currently leads both the Police Reserve and the Citizen Patrol units, coordinating their work and training with regular police officers.  Captain Scheibe recalled when he first went on a police ride-along back in the early 1980s is when he “caught the bug” and joined the Police Reserve Unit, which numbered about 100 at the time. While not on duty, Captain Scheibe is a car dealer in Riverside.

Carl Devlin is retired from Stater Bros. and has been a Reserve Police Officer for over 21 years.  Carl holds the rank of Reserve Sergeant and is a qualified Range Master, where he spends most of his time.  As a Range Master, Sergeant Devlin maintains and organizes the gun range, provides weapons training and maintains weapons in proper working condition.  Additionally, Sgt. Devlin is involved in the Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT) program at the Police Department and oversees many of its operations.  He was awarded the prestigious “Reserve Officer of the Year” award for his 1,200 hours of volunteer time contributed to the department, however, most of his colleagues also recognized the several hundred undocumented hours he provided.

Diane Holms retired from the Police Department in 2010 as a Lieutenant; however, she continues to serve on the Police Department’s Reserve Unit working with the Explorer Scout program and on the Mounted Unit.  Jason Suarez works full time as a Public Safety Information Technology (IT) Manager at the Police Department, and then changes into his police uniform during his off time.

Reserve Police Officers in California are fully recognized as sworn Police Officers while on duty, and are authorized to carry concealed weapons.  While on duty, Reserve Officers have all the powers of arrest that regular police officers have.  The duties of a Reserve Police Officer are similar to that of a regular officer, which includes patrol duties, taking reports on various crimes, collection of evidence, traffic enforcement, and testifying in court.  Reserve Officers must meet all the same requirements as a regular full-time Police Officer.  In addition, the SBPD’s Reserve Unit has participated in several DUI checkpoints, public affairs events, raves, Route 66 events, saturation patrols, unlicensed driver stings, and many other assignments. 

Assistant Police Chief David Green, Reserve Captain Scheibe, Lt. Francisco Hernandez, and Sgt. John Echevarria recognized awardees with plaques and certificates.  Reserve Officer of the Year went to Reserve Sergeant Carl Devlin.  Service Awards were given to Reserve Officers Michael Eby for 15 years of service, Diane Holms for 10 years of service, Martin Llanos for 10 years of service, and Citizen Patrol Robert Vincent for 5 years of service. Receiving the Dedicated Service award was Reserve Officer Glen Carr (retired SBPD Homicide Detective) who has given hundreds of hours to the Police Explorer program. Receiving the Meritorious Service Award was Michael Eckley for his service to the Police Reserves and the Citizen Patrol unit. On the Citizen Patrol side, awards were presented to Patricia Kilmer and Edwin Garrett for their hours of service. 

Reserve Coordinators and Advisors which are made up of Police Department staff were also recognized for their leadership. Those awarded were Lt. Francisco Hernandez, Sgt. John Echevarria, Detective Tony Silva, and Detective Michael Sims. 

Two special retired SBPD dispatchers, Sharly Eckley and Ricki Riley, were recognized for their participation with the department’s DUI checkpoints.  For several years Sharly and Ricki have coordinated the meals served at checkpoints including food purchase and preparation.  They make sure that everyone gets to eat!  They donate their time, food and drinks for the events, and their efforts are appreciated by everyone involved. 

The San Bernardino Police Department’s Reserve Unit is self-sufficient – it doesn’t receive any funding from the city or from the Police Department’s budget. Each Officer and Citizen Patrol member must furnish its own uniforms at their own expense.  The commitment and sacrifices made to be a member of these units is high, but rewarding! Reserve Captain Warren Scheibe indicated that the Reserve Unit donated 4,500 hours, representing over $216,000 of cost savings to the city.  1,500 hours were donated by the Citizen Patrol Unit, which represents about $72,000 of cost savings to the city.