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Polk County Sheriff’s Phone# 863-298-6200
If in an emergency Dial 911
A PCSO Volunteer Sheriff's Service Officer (VSSO) fulfills a very important law enforcement function for the people of Polk County by assisting full-time sworn deputies with many functions, including writing reports, handling paperwork on past-occurred crimes, and responding to minor injury traffic crashes.
Anyone considering a career in law enforcement or who is interested in law enforcement work but not wanting to become a full-time sworn law enforcement officer is encouraged to become a VSSO.
For more information about the VSSO program, please contact Mike Reckart at mreckart@polksheriff.org, or 863-297-1181.
Citizens Assisted Patrol, or C.A.P., is a program initially started by the Sheriff’s Office to assist law enforcement officers in combating crime throughout the county. C.A.P. volunteers patrol the unincorporated areas of the county using specially
marked golf carts and patrol cars acting as extra eyes and ears for law enforcement. C.A.P. volunteers are provided with uniforms. Volunteers do not carry weapons and have no law enforcement powers. All C.A.P. volunteers are subjected to background
checks and must participate in training. There are 67 C.A.P. communities throughout the county.
Not only are they in the unincorporated areas of the county, but also in the cities of Lakeland, Winter Haven, Haines City, Lake Wales, and Dundee. This extremely successful program assists the Sheriff ’s Office in deterring crime by providing
highly visible patrols who report suspicious activities to the Emergency Communications Center and district supervisors.
For more information on volunteer opportunities or the C.A.P. program, please call Volunteer
Services at 863-298-6681 to obtain an application, then send it to: PCSO Volunteer Services Unit, 1891 Jim Keene Blvd, Winter Haven, FL, 33880.