Draper’s Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) were chosen by the city as this year’s Extra Mile Heroes. Jeri Rollins, Gerel Altankhuyag, Lori Johnson, Dean Lowe and Da Yang Wipfel were honored at the Oct. 15 Draper City Council meeting. Draper Police Lieutenant Pat Evans said, “They were all very surprised and thankful. That’s how they always are…very appreciative.”

Draper Mayor Troy Walker read the proclamation declaring VIPS this year’s Extra Mile winners. “We’re recognizing a group in our community that we put in place a few years ago, citizens in our community that do amazing work to supplement and assist our police officers. These are folks who’ve gone the extra mile,” Walker said.

The VIPS program began five years ago under former Police Chief John Eining. He had seen the program in other cities and made it a goal to create VIPS in Draper. The city put out a request for volunteers and received many applications. City officials held interviews and narrowed it down to 10 they offered volunteer positions to. Those 10 committed to attending one meeting per month as well as three hours of training per month on police related topics and ultimately 10 hours per month of volunteering on behalf of the city and Draper Police. “They selected great, professional people with diverse backgrounds who really care about the community,” Evans said. There has been some attrition since the program started and five VIPS members remain.

The duties of VIPS include providing extra patrol of parks and helping with big city events such as Draper Days. They’ve been known to help lost children locate their parents and they’ve participated in the Mayor’s Bike Ride by leading a group of cyclists along the designated route. They have a designated VIPS vehicle they use to tow and place two speed trailers owned by the city around town to encourage drivers to observe the speed limit. They also use that vehicle to patrol trailhead parking lots to deter vehicle burglaries. They get out on city trails, both by bike and on foot, to talk with trail users.

“People love seeing the police or these VIPS on the trails because some people feel vulnerable when exercising. They bring a sense of relief to a lot of people who run into them. They interact with community members, give them crime prevention tips, and offer ways to keep themselves and their property safe,” Evans said. They also serve in the Willow Springs area during CCHS football games to prevent people from parking in designated no parking areas and helping keep roads safe on busy game nights.

“They’ve really served as an extra set of eyes and ears for the Police Department, but they’ve also served as community policing and public relations representatives. They get out there and they love what they’re doing, clearly, because they’re not getting paid to do it,” Evans said.

Police Chief Rich Ferguson nominated the five VIPS for this year’s Extra Mile recognition. “He wanted to see them get recognition for all their hard work,” Evans said.

Each member commits to donating roughly 120 hours of service to the city each year. In his nomination, Ferguson said their volunteerism equates to a job that would pay approximately $18.50 per hour. That hourly rate multiplied by 120 hours of service by five VIPS results in an estimated service they provide the city for free that would be valued at $11,094 annually. “They’re willing to give their time for free to make Draper a better place. To me, that’s priceless,” Evans said.

This is Draper’s fifth year participating in the Extra Mile award through the Extra Mile America Foundation to recognize special people in communities across the country. According to Assistant City Manager Kellie Challburg, the Draper VIPS will have their photo and nomination information posted on the foundation’s national website.

“I love that they’re visible and there if we need them, and I think the community looks to them to ask questions,” Challburg said. “They’re a good resource at our events helping people and they’ve been quite helpful at trailheads, too.”