About

The Richfield Police Reserve unit is made up of 30 to 40 volunteers who range in age from 21 to over 70.  They donate around 4,000 hours of volunteer service to the City of Richfield every year.

Reserves work in regular Friday and Saturday night patrols and at various City events, including the 4th of July festival and National Night Out.  One of the most important roles of the reserves is to be available for emergencies on short notice. Reserves have been called upon to assist in:  major fires, flooding, lost and missing children & adults, search for murder weapons, crime scene protection, power outages, fatal accidents, hostage situations, and severe storms.

There are three specialty sections within the reserves: Police, Rescue, and Communications.

Membership

Minimum membership requirements:

• All members must be at least 21 years of age and be a US Citizen.
• Applicants must not have any criminal convictions and must have a good driving record and a valid driver's license.
• High school graduate or equivalent.
• Applicants must live within the City of Richfield.
• Must be in good physical condition

Members are required to complete the reserve officers' training school which is provided through Hennepin County Sheriff's Training Division. Once they have graduated, new members are placed on an "on-the-job" field training program for one year. Reserves are not licensed officers and are not authorized to carry firearms.

Applications can be obtained from the Richfield Police Department at 612-861-9800. Applications are normally accepted from September through November of each year.

Reserves receive continuous training throughout the year. Below is a partial list of training topics.

V.I.P. protection
Emergency first aid
Crowd and traffic control
Weather spotting
Crime scene
Drug enforcement and detection
D.U.I. /D.W.I.
Patrol techniques
Defensive tactics
Water rescue
Search & rescue