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Volunteers will help patrol Talent Chief still looking for others TALENT -- A small volunteer force of community service officers will hit the streets next month to take some pressure off the police and other city departments. The officers will be trained and sport uniforms, although they will differ from the standard police uniform and clearly state 'volunteer' under a cloth badge. "They're not police officers," said former Mayor Frank Falsarella, who will be coordinating the program. The volunteers will patrol the downtown on foot, perform vacation house checks, enforce proper use of parking spots for the disabled, deliver subpoenas, track loose dogs, report nuisance and other code violations and distribute the city newsletter, The Flash. Falsarella says this spring, the officers will begin a bike patrol of the Bear Creek Greenway and Lynn Newbry Park. They will also initiate a bicycle licensing program and organize bicycle rodeos to teach schoolchildren bicycle safety. Chief C.W. Smith says he already has five volunteers who are undergoing a background check, but he is hoping for at least five more people before training begins. Ashland started a similar program in 1984 and now has over 1,800 active volunteers. Volunteers don't have to be Talent residents, but must be U.S. citizens and be willing to submit to a criminal background check. Applications are available at the Talent Police Department, 604 Talent Avenue. For more information, call Falsarella at 535-3100. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA