Volunteer Police, Choosing to Serve provides an in-depth comparison between volunteer policing in the United States and in the United Kingdom, and explores the shared past and similar-yet sometimes divergent-evolution of special constables, auxiliaries, and reserves. It discusses the history of volunteer policing, contemporary authority, functions, and training. The book also examines part-time, auxiliary, and special constable policing roles around the globe. The text contains original research comparing British and American volunteer police, and concludes with a discussion of the future of volunteer policing in the UK and US contexts.

'This book is an impressive and valuable resource for educators, leaders, and administrators in law enforcement, and for a community served by volunteers in policing. It offers a detailed definition of volunteer policing and examines the history and numerous roles of volunteer police, mainly in the United States and in the United Kingdom, but globally as well. The authors highlight the impact of volunteer policing by providing the number of these volunteers in the United Kingdom and United States, while expounding specific examples of heroisms by these public servants. This book reminds us that these humble servants come from a variety of backgrounds and are a needed resource across many facets of policing. Most important, the authors introduce us to the training and authority of volunteer police officers, elements that are paramount for the safety of our communities, but they remind us that standardization of volunteer policing is needed. Today, law enforcement around the globe faces complex challenges with limited resources, and law enforcement professionals and educators at all levels should understand the history, roles, impact, deployment, future, best practices of volunteers in policing, and how volunteer policing programs are shaped in the way that garners community support. This book is a comprehensive discussion by Ross Wolf and Carol Jones; it is a complete guide for volunteer policing.' - Dr. Jeffrey W. Goltz, Executive Dean, School of Public Safety, Valencia College, Orlando, Florida; Retired Captain, Orlando Police Department 'This book is the most complete study on volunteer policing to date! My belief is that there is no better example of the current trend of "community policing" than that of a robust reserve program. I call them "citizen cops". This book explores both the positives and the negatives of reserve or volunteer policing and is a must read for anyone interested in current law enforcement trends.' - Deputy Chief of Police Stephan Brody, Reserve Division, City of Dallas Police Department, Texas 'This book gives a fascinating and thought-provoking insight into an area of policing that has seen too little research in the past- the reserve or auxiliary police officer. Past studies have tended to be within individual countries and have not looked internationally. As a result, the obvious opportunity to learn from the practices and experiences of others has been neglected. By comparing and contrasting the different approaches to reserve policing across the US, and between the US and the UK, the authors provide a unique opportunity to consider how policing can benefit even more from reserve officers.' - Ian Miller MBE, Special Commander, City of London Police 'Volunteers in policing make an enormous but often little-recognized contribution to policing. This important book explores this contribution internationally, identifying the roles that volunteers play and the impact that they make to policing both in the United Kingdom and the United States, and discussing what the future holds for volunteer policing.' - Iain Britton, Director at the Institute of Public Safety, Crime and Justice at the University of Northampton; Head of the Centre for Citizens in Policing; Director at CoPaCC