Reserve officers 'disappointed' program was eliminated

It was the late 1980s, and Craig Posch had been on the Topeka Police Department’s Reserve Program for a few years.

A prowler was trying to break into a woman’s house. The woman, who worked as a teacher, was a single mother of a small girl.

Posch and other officers intercepted the prowler before he was able to get to the teacher. The prowler had been stalking her and told Posch he would have raped the woman if police hadn’t caught him.

“There are so many stories,” said Posch, who served 30 years with the Reserve Program.

After serving the community for more than 60 years, the program — which had five people serving in it — has been eliminated.

The program was retired Dec. 1. The decision to eliminate the program was made because the department was concerned current Kansas law doesn’t give specific guidance when it comes to reserve officers. There also was concern about liability issues.

The Topeka Capital-Journal spoke to three of the five officers. They said while they understand the concerns, they are disappointed.

“I’ve dedicated 10 years of my life to this,” said Buck Reuter.

When Reuter joined, there were about 13 officers in the program. The program was down to seven officers at the beginning of October.

“This has been in the works since (former police Chief Ron) Miller was in office,” Reuter said. “He made a conscious effort not to hire.”

In the fall, the officers were told the program would be suspended. However, they weren’t told it would be eliminated until Dec. 1.

The people involved in the reserve program are volunteers. However, unlike other volunteers, people in the program were allowed to carry firearms and had the same authority as regular law enforcement officers while on duty.

The program started in 1953, according to previous Capital-Journal articles.

At one time, there were more than 50 reserve officers.

In January 1991, the department had 30 officers and planned to add 20 more, a Capital-Journal article stated. By 2006, there were only 13 reserve officers.

Reserve officers weren’t required to have a law enforcement background. While reserves weren’t paid, they received all necessary police training and equipment free of charge. Some reserves later became full-time Topeka police officers.

Reserves had to undergo the same training as regular officers, completing 340 hours of classes that were generally on weeknights and weekends. Reserves then were required to attend monthly training and volunteer 16 hours per month, which usually involved patrol duty or traffic control at special events.

In a February 1998 Capital-Journal article, the department stated reserve officers had volunteered 13,850 hours in 1997.

Reuter volunteered about 300 hours per year, he said. One of the busiest times for Reuter was the Fiesta Mexicana, when he often worked more than 45 hours in one week.

Doug Hickman joined the program in 2001. He was working full time with the 190th Air Refueling Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard, but he always had an interest in law enforcement. He learned about the Reserve Program.

“It was a blessing for me,” Hickman said. “My heart is with the Topeka Police Department.”

Like Reuter and Posch, Hickman was disappointed to learn the program was being eliminated.

“We really enjoyed going out,” Hickman said. “We still had more work to do. But maybe that chapter of my life is closed.”

Some of the TPD reservists said they are considering applying to serve on the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Reserve Program.

The sheriff’s reserve program dates back to the 1960s or 1970s, said sheriff’s Maj. Phil Blume.

Like the police department, sheriff’s reserve deputies have to serve at least 16 hours per month.

“They are tremendously beneficial,” Blume said of the reserve deputies.

Posch said he will miss “having the satisfaction of being able to help the citizens with their needs.”

“Not being able to do that hurts a little bit,” he said. “I think we made a considerable difference.”