(Atlantic) The Atlantic Police Reserves received the 2020 Donald H. Mackaman Outstanding Unit Award.
This is the eighth time the Atlantic Police Reserves have received the award. Officer Cameron Ward said the Reserves often go unrecognized through the public. He said this is a volunteer position and on top of working a normal every day job these Reserves come out and assist the Police Department throughout the month.
Officer Ward said as part of the application process they tally up everything the Reserves have done for the entire year. He said each Department in the State that has a Reserve Unit that is a part of the association has the opportunity to submit an application to say why they believe their Reserves deserve the award. The presidents of the association then vote on who gets the award. Officer Ward read a letter submitted by one of the president’s when they were reviewing the applications.
The Atlantic Police Reserve Unit has been operating since 1972. In 2020, the 7-9 member unit donated 675.15 hours of general service to the community and department. This total includes 454.4 hours of patrol, 56.5 hours of school security, 59 hours of documented training, 80.25 hours of documented public service and 25 hours of firearms training; these hours do not include monthly meetings, ILEA module training, and training for pre-certified reserve officers. The unit was forced to temporarily shut down for a period of time in 2020 in an attempt to protect full time officers from becoming exposed to the virus.
Some of the programs the Reserves participate in include Family Christmas Dreams, Shop with a Cop, Wickman Chemical Fun Shoot fundraiser, Halloween programs, Zoo trips and other field trips and campouts.
Officer Cameron Ward noted that they are currently accepting applications for the Atlantic Police Reserves. Applications are available at the Atlantic Police Department.
