VIPS Save the City of Hazelwood $264,000

Tony Podorski has been part of the a Hazelwood Volunteers in Police Services (VIPS) since its inception. He has racked up a lifetime achievement award for his dedication to the .

"Tony's an overachiever—1,200 volunteers hours this year," said Sgt. Don Routh, the department's supervisor of the VIPS. "He has put in over 4,000 in his career as a volunteer."

In that time he, along with other VIPS, has set things up for municipal court nights, helped the court division with paperwork, performed filing in the records room and shredded documents.

VIPS also drive police cars back and forth to the automotive garage for repairs, help check on prisoners in the city jail area and provide security detail for city events.

"They are truly the backbone of this community," said Hazelwood Mayor Matthew Robinson. "There's a lot of events that go on in the community that I don't know how we would do them without them."

The VIPS performing all of these tasks enable Hazelwood police officers to be on the street and focused on their true calling—handling crime.

Overall, the Hazelwood Volunteers in Police Services Unit has saved the and the Hazelwood Police Department hundreds of thousands of dollars throughout the years in service hours. In fact, Routh said for the 2010 fiscal year VIPS save the city $264,166.50. That amount represents 8,521.5 volunteer hours of service.

A quick scan of the unit and you can see a few commonalities—they are retired Hazelwood residents, most whom have lived in the area a large portion of their lives, if not all. Another character trait that can be spotted from far away is their dedication and pride in the service they do each day for the city.

The HPD began its VIPS Unit in 1996. Throughout the years, this organization has gone from providing 1,500 hours to more than 15,000 volunteer hours each year. Currently, there are 25 active volunteers who perform more than 33 tasks throughout the department.

In 2007, the Hazelwood VIPS Unit was recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police as a model police volunteer program.

To help give Hazelwood police volunteers the recognition and honor they deserve for their demonstrated commitment, the VIPS Unit became one of 28,000 certifying organizations for The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.

Established in 2003, the council's purpose is to recognize the contributions volunteers make in the communities they serve.

The President's Volunteer Service Award recognizes individuals, families, and groups that have achieved a certain number of hours of service in a 12-month period. There is also a lifetime award that recognizes cumulative hours earned throughout the course of a lifetime.

Several VIPS received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award in recognition of their voluntary contributions to the Hazelwood Police Department throughout past 12 months.

BRONZE AWARD (100-249 Hours)
Ruth Bohm                     
Runette Travis                
Jeanne Bethel                 
Tina Pellerito                  
Pat Herrmann                 

SILVER AWARD (250-499 Hours)
Ruth Podorski                
Dennis Lammert            
Joyce Hollman                
Dolores Kruep               
Clyde Carron                 
Chuck Herrmann            

GOLD AWARD (500+ Hours)
Tony Podorski**
Jack Weber**
Stella Brown                 
Pat Corzine                    
Dona Carron                  
Ted Johnson                    
Rose Littell**

**Lifetime Award-cumulated 4,000