LASD announces Reserve Impact Team, made up of trained civilians

INDUSTRY, Calif. (KABC) -- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department shared details about its new Reserve Impact Team, a task force made up of civilians who trained to work as part-time deputies.

The patrol groups are made up of about 15 reserve deputies who go out into high-crime areas and make their presence known to try and cut down on crime.

More specifically, the task force is assisting with theft and vehicle theft suppression, parole and probation operations, conducting traffic enforcement and writing incident reports.

The reserve deputies have other full-time jobs but work on the side for the sheriff's department.

LASD Sheriff Jim McDonnell made it clear at the Friday press conference that these civilians do it for the safety of the public and just $1 a year.

The first deployment was on Aug. 17 at Temple Station, and the area saw no burglaries, robberies, assaults or vehicle thefts for the night, which the sheriff attributes to the Reserve Impact Team.

Reserve Deputy Don Elshire is a full-time trauma surgeon and said he's happy to help keep people safe.

"I really like the idea of going out and serving the community, giving compassionate service to a fellow man and helping people in trouble. That also precipices to my regular role as a trauma surgeon," he shared.

Reserve deputies have all the rights that regular deputies do, and the sheriff is hoping that the task force continues to cut down on crime.