FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 05, 2003
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International Association of Chiefs of Police
1-800-THE-IACP |
Volunteers In Police Service (VIPS) Program Celebrates One-Year Anniversary |
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WASHINGTON, June 5, 2003—Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today
unveiled Mrs. Bush’s National Hunger Awareness Day public service announcement
that encourages Americans to volunteer in the fight against hunger and
announced the availability of new tools designed to increase access to the
Food Stamp Program to help raise awareness of the resources available to those
in need.
Veneman made the announcement during a National Hunger Awareness Day event
at the Downtown Services Center in the First Congregational Church. National
Hunger Awareness Day is a public information initiative started in 2002, by
America’s Second Harvest to highlight the continued existence of hunger in
America. The Bush Administration has joined with America’s Second Harvest and
other faith and community-based organizations to show what Americans can do to
combat hunger in their communities.
At the event, Veneman unveiled the public service announcement, which will
be broadcast on television stations nationwide. Veneman was joined by
community leaders and anti-hunger advocates honoring the commitment of
volunteers in Washington, DC—and across the country—who are working to combat
hunger in America.
Only one year after its birth, the Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS)
program -- managed and implemented by the International Association of Chiefs
of Police (IACP) -- now includes more than 500 registered programs,
representing more than 22,000 volunteers in 49 states and the District of
Columbia.
The VIPS program is one of the Citizen Corps programs under the USA Freedom
Corps initiative created by President George W. Bush. These programs share the
common goal of helping communities prevent, prepare for and respond to crime,
natural disasters and other emergencies.
Besides IACP, the VIPS program is supported in partnership with, and on
behalf of, the White House Office of the USA Freedom Corps and the U.S.
Department of Justice. The programs' ultimate goal is to enhance the capacity
of state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies to utilize volunteers.
Volunteers who participate in VIPS programs assist departments by
performing non-sworn duties, such as answering phones, compiling crime data,
preparing incident reports and facilitating crime prevention programs.
"VIPs is the first program to bring together law enforcement volunteer
initiatives nationwide to share resources and support each other's efforts,"
said IACP President Joseph Samuels, Jr. police chief of Richmond, Calif. "This
national effort assists state and local law enforcement agencies by increasing
the number of law enforcement volunteers, expanding or improving various
components of existing programs, and aiding agencies without VIPs programs to
establish them."
Samuels added: "The program is extremely important, particularly in this
time of heightened terrorism concerns across the land."
Other highlights of VIPs very successful first year:
The website for VIPS at www.policevolunteers.org serves as a gateway for
law enforcement volunteer opportunities. Over the past year, the website has
had more than 4.8 million hits.
The VIPS staff has made presentations and/or conducted site visits in 22
states and the District of Columbia.
President Bush acknowledged the VIPS program in a letter read by Attorney
General John Ashcroft at the 109th Annual IACP Conference in Minneapolis in
October 2002.
President Bush has recognized individual VIPS volunteers in some of his
speeches and visits around the Nation.
The IACP is the world's oldest and largest association of law enforcement
executives. Founded in 1893, the IACP currently has over 19,000 members in 90
countries.
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