The report included an interview with Barry Bradberry, associate dean of admissions and special assistant to the president, who volunteers with the Burlington Police Department program.
Cities around North Carolina are increasingly turning to civilian volunteers to assist police officers with motor vehicle accidents and traffic disruptions.
Legislation signed into law this month by N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper would expand what those civilian volunteers can do by allowing them to investigate vehicle crashes that don’t involve personal injuries. Some cities, including Burlington, had already created programs that train local residents to assist police with services involving stranded vehicles.
Among those volunteers is Elon University’s Barry Bradberry, associate dean of admissions and special assistant to the president. Bradberry is among those who have completed the training for the Burlington Motorist Assistance Program and now provide assistance by blocking oncoming traffic at motor vehicle incident sites, provide traffic control, set up cones, flares and barricades, and respond to vehicle lockouts.
He and a fellow volunteer were recently interviewed by CBS affiliate WFMY News 2, which focused a segment titled “Greensboro police to begin using civilians to respond to minor crashes” about how cities in the region are tapping into volunteers to supplement law enforcement resources.
“We’ve had a lot of fun with it and I think the people we have had a chance to serve appreciate it. They are surprised that it’s a volunteer situation rather than being employees,” Bradberry told WFMY News2.
Watch the full segment for more details.