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8 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JANUARY 2019 By Steve Benoff The Beaumont Police Department has a volunteer program open to anyone who is willing to commit to at least four hours a week of assisting the police department in carrying out certain aspects of its mission. That program is known as the Citizen Volunteer Patrol (CVP). I ran my own small electronics business for over 40 years and had no time for volunteer work. About the only thing that carried over from my working days is my love of bicycling. Since I retired, I've found several avenues of volunteer work to fill my day. I'm treasurer and newsletter editor of Congregation Shalom Bayit, the only Jewish temple in the Pass Area. I've been the leader of the Four Seasons Classical Music Club since I started it in June of 2013. And for no other reason than I thought it would be interesting, I joined the CVP. I've been a CVP for five years. There's actually a volunteer academy we attend to learn the subjects we need to fulfill our obligation. We learn how to use the police radio. Volunteers broadcast on the same frequency as sworn officers. We learn about traffic control, driving patrol units, parking violations, proper uniform dress, and other pertinent subjects. As part of our initial and continuing training, we ride with sworn officers while they are on duty. Besides myself, there are two other CVPs in our Four Seasons community – Linda Ruoff and Christina Gomer. After working as an architectural engineer in the early 1970s at TRW, Linda started an import and export company called Omni Express International in 1980 which she ran for 24 years. She sold her company, went back to school, and became a personal fitness trainer and enjoyed educating and working with people to improve their health until retiring in 2015 and moving to Four Seasons. As a volunteer before moving to Beaumont, Linda was involved with the Special Olympics in Los Angeles and San Diego, coaching basketball and track & field. She even took a team to the Special Olympics at UCLA in the 90s; a memory she will cherish forever. Besides her work as a CVP, Linda serves on the Landscape Committee. Linda wanted to contribute to the community and becoming a CVP seemed a natural choice as she has family members who are involved with the police and CHP in Southern California. As a CVP, she and a partner (CVPs almost always work in pairs) patrol the city, handle traffic when there are accidents, or work when there are events requiring assistance. They write tickets, have cars towed, and basically do whatever they can to assist the Police Department. It could be a graduation, the Cherry Festival, or assisting with Animal Control. It is interesting, fun and you learn a lot about the city we live in. Linda loves to hike and belongs to the Four Seasons 4x4 Jeep Club. In her own words, "Life is good." Christina Gomer spent a quarter of a century in banking starting in 1979 as a teller at Bank of America, continuing on to Consumer Lending as an assistant vice president. In late 2000, Christina moved to Business Bank as Operations Manager, VP. She retired in the fall of 2013. Christina and her husband Ken moved to Four Seasons at the very beginning of January 2006. They bought their home from blueprints, as there were no models yet. They have never regretted it; they love living here. Christina spent her first year of retirement relaxing and enjoying not having to get up at 5 am, but shortly after that she volunteered at The Lakes for a year. In 2015, Christina decided to volunteer at the Beaumont Police Department. After training in the Sheriff 's Volunteer Academy, she received further hands-on training by a Field Training Officer before being signed off to go out with a partner. They patrol the city in an assigned volunteer vehicle. They can issue citations for non-moving violations, such as handicap parking, blocking a fire hydrant, or parking in red zone. They also assist the officers in special fun events such as the Fourth of July parade, Christmas parade, and so on - also in traffic collisions or lane closures for fires. Christina didn't know her volunteer partner before becoming a CVP, but they've become great friends and thoroughly enjoy their times together. "There's actually a volunteer academy we attend to learn the subjects we need to fulfill our obligation. We learn how to use the police radio. Volunteers broadcast on the same frequency as sworn officers. We learn about traffic control, driving patrol units, parking violations, proper uniform dress, and other pertinent subjects. As part of our initial and continuing training, we ride with sworn officers while they are on duty." Members of the Citizen Volunteer Patrol Are Our Neighbors continued on the following page

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