Since 1992, STAR (Sheriff’s Team of Active Retirees) Volunteers have assisted and supported the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office. These volunteers provide a broad spectrum of community services to both the West Slope and South Lake Tahoe area. These STARs are seen throughout the county daily..
Daily tasks include patrol, vehicle abatement checks, deploying the radar trailer, providing safety checks on homes while residents are away, Neighborhood Watch and facilitating the You Are Not Alone (YANA) Program. STARs help staff the El Dorado Hills and Georgetown substations, keep the deputies abreast of people and vehicles of interest, and other various projects. During the summer, STARs regularly patrol various campgrounds, hiking trails, bike trails and assist deputies on the river, making sure citizens are safe.
STARs come with a lifetime of experience and adventures and a variety of backgrounds. A large amount are US veterans! STAR volunteers are some of the most hardworking people who respect the Sheriff’s Office and live by the Sheriff’s Vision of Total Professionalism.
Last year, STAR volunteers donated 22,444 hours. In 2019 STARs participated at over 50 community events such as National Night Out, Multi-Cultural Health and Safety Fair, Camino Clean-Up Event, Every 15 Minutes, Christmas in Coloma, the Hangtown Christmas Parade, along with many fundraisers with local organizations.
STARs participated in the No Vet Goes Hungry Food Bank Home Deliveries and Holiday Basket Delivery for YANA clients. This definitely is an honor for the STARs. We delivered over 35 Yana baskets and over 50 No Vet Goes Hungry Meals.
STARS
Peer Support
The Peer Support team is made up of staff from all Divisions who take extra time to focus on the well being of all Sheriff’s Office employees. This year has been an extremely challenging year, one in which Peer Support has worked tirelessly to ensure no one is left behind.
One of the tasks of the Peer Support team is to help facilitate Critical Incident Stress Debriefs following serious or tragic incidents. These debriefs have become standard in law enforcement and fire services. They are highly encouraged for personnel involved in an incident to provide tools to help the individual and the law enforcement team as a whole. Debriefs are usually a combined effort of law enforcement chaplains, peer support and a contracted clinician. This allows the involved
employees to begin processing the normal stress and emotions resulting from facing abnormally dangerous or tragic situations.
Peer Support members meet regularly with the contracted clinicians and law enforcement chaplains so that employees are able to reach
out to a variety of support options given their
needs. The mission of the Peer Support team is to help all employees build resiliency in the face of difficult tasks.
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