We Couldn’t Do It Without You

Volunteers in Partnership with the Sheriff (VIPS)

If you agree that service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth, you might consider the accommodations being earned by a plucky bunch of volunteers over at the Rancho Cordova Police Department.

They may not carry guns or flash a badge. But make no mistake about it, these volunteers, who work alongside law enforcement professionals, bring life experiences and skills that enhance the services provided by the Rancho Cordova Police Department and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.

They call themselves Volunteers in Partnership with the Sheriff, or VIPS for short. And they devote thousands of hours each and every year in invaluable service not only to law enforcement, but also to the citizens of Rancho Cordova.

Founded in 1993, the VIPS were created by the Sheriff’s Department to develop a volunteer work force that helps foster the partnership between the Sheriff’s Office and the community in working toward improving the quality of life for residents of Sacramento County.

With the incorporation of Rancho Cordova, and establishment of the Rancho Cordova Police Department, VIPS serving Rancho Cordova was also created -- and they have been hard at work ever since.

RCPD volunteers run the daily operation of the service center on Kilgore Road, assist with the shoplift program, support community events, write reports, and conduct daily patrols of the community and vacation watches. Volunteers are a valued piece of Rancho Cordova police operations and familiar faces at many Rancho Cordova special events.

At the Service Center, 14 VIPS help citizens with neighborhood and law enforcement related issues and questions, crime reports, fingerprinting, safety fairs and general office assistance.

They assist with Missing Persons follow up and Child Abuse Unit data entry, and the list goes on and on.

In 2024, they racked up some impressive numbers over at the RCPD Service Center. They handled:

7,700 walk-in visitors
6,600 telephone calls
300+ reports
200+ vacation checks
They also volunteered at the Airshow, Fourth of July, National Night Out, safety fairs, other community events and DUI checkpoints.

In all, they donated 5,350 volunteer hours. Wow!

All this hard work frees up RC patrol officers, the Homeless Outreach Team, POP Officers and detectives to focus on the serious stuff. With their varied life experiences and backgrounds they all work together for the common goal of doing good for others and creating a great hometown environment here in Rancho Cordova.

They ride tall in the saddle and live the cowboy creed that says life is about more than just getting by – it’s about living fully.

So, to the Rancho Cordova VIPS volunteers, we tip our hat and say “much obliged, Partners.” We Couldn’t Do it Without You.