The Omaha/Douglas County Citizen Corps Needs You!
Citizen Corps, which is part of the Office of Homeland Security, provides an opportunity for every American to get involved in “Disaster Preparedness.” Whether the disaster is of natural causes or terrorism, we all need to educate ourselves and take some type of training. The Omaha/Douglas County Citizen Corps is made up of the following programs:
Neighborhood Watch Group (NWG) - A NWG is a front line of defense against crime. It is made up of residents on one city block, both sides of the street. The reason NWGs work is because they unite the block into a group of people who know and watch out for each other, work on neighborhood problems together and report suspicious activity to 911. We encourage NWG members to develop a plan for their block in case of a disaster, and to have two members take CERT Training. To start a Neighborhood Watch, please call 444-5772.
Citizens in Omaha Police Service (COPS) - These volunteers assist the police department by writing citations within the handicap parking patrol; providing counseling, general assistance, and crisis response as members of the chaplain corps; and providing general office assistance by operating computers, filing data, following-up with victims, recording data, and reading and copying reports. These volunteers would be very valuable to OPD if a disaster happened in Omaha. If you are interested in this program, please call the Coordinator of Volunteers, 444-3598, for more information.
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) - Provides training in emergency preparedness and in basic response techniques, enabling participants to take a more active role in personal and public safety. If you are interested in taking the CERT course in Omaha, please go to Omaha Cert on the Web for information on training dates and how to sign up.
Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) – Any person who has a medical license can belong to the MRC. Members of this group receive training in various aspects of emergency situations, and were key people when the Katrina evacuees arrived in Omaha, by giving physicals, ordering medicine for them and taking care of their medical needs. If you have a medical license, and would like to join the MRC, please call 522-7970.
Citizen Patrols - There are over 30 Citizen Patrols in Omaha, and they can always use more members. Patrol members are trained by the Omaha Police Department, and work with officers on joint ventures. If you live in an area without a Patrol, and would like to start one, or if you would like to join an existing patrol, call 345-6388.
The goal of Citizen Corps is to Educate, Recruit and Train as many people of the Omaha/ Douglas County area as possible.