Chairman Swears in Volunteer Citizens on Patrol

Geraldine Delia-Scott, Viola Long, and Carmen Kane were sworn in as volunteer Hoopa Citizens on Patrol on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. / Photo by Kristan Korns, Two Rivers Tribune

By KRISTAN KORNS, Two Rivers Tribune

Hoopa Tribal Chairman Leonard Masten Jr., swore in three new Hoopa Citizens on Patrol (HCOP) volunteers on Monday, Jan. 28, doubling the number of active members.

Carmen Kane, Geraldine Delia-Scott, and Viola Long took their oaths of office, and will start vehicle patrols in the Hoopa Valley in February.

“I want to do this to help my community, and make it a safer place to live for my children and my grandchildren,” Kane said.

All of the HCOP volunteers went through a 30-hour training program with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department.

They will work together with the Klamath-Trinity Anti-Drug Coalition (KTAC), Neighborhood Watch, and the Hoopa Valley Tribal Police to patrol the whole valley.
Long said, “I think it’s good we have eyes in the community.”

HCOP volunteers will patrol in teams of two in a specially-marked vehicle, and will keep in radio contact with police dispatchers.
The volunteers also have CPR and first aid training.

Norma McAdams, public relations officer for HCOP and a volunteer herself, said, “We’re looking forward to getting more people involved. We’re always recruiting.”

The next public HCOP meeting will be on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 5:30 pm in the Tribal Council Chambers at Neighborhood Facilities (NF) in Hoopa.

Long said, “When you have that uniform on, you’re not just representing yourself, but you’re supporting your whole tribe.”