Police Auxiliary Plays Important Public Service Role

Whitefish Bay is well-known for its great community events, but one of the lesser-talked-about stories behind their success is the Whitefish Bay auxiliary police.

This group of volunteer police officers has been assisting the Whitefish Bay Police Department for nearly 50 years. Originally formed to provide an extra set of eyes during a period of civil disturbance, the auxiliary now helps with directing traffic and offering assistance at special events, including the Fourth of July, Sounds of Summer, Holiday Stroll, International Cycling Classic and Run the Bay.

The fun of being involved with these events drew Rick Domach to join his father Richard – a 30-year veteran himself - on the auxiliary ranks 22 years ago. These days, Domach serves as the president of the auxiliary, which means scheduling and volunteering for almost every event imaginable.

"I've taken a passion in it. It's just a lot of fun," he said. "I put a lot of time into it, but when I see all of the people having fun, and it goes off without a hitch, I'm really proud of it."

Whitefish Bay Police Chief Michael Young said the auxiliary police are a great asset to the police department. By bringing in volunteers to help out with special events, it frees up officers to respond to other service calls.

"The village has a high quality of life, and this type of volunteerism contributes to that quality of life," Young said. "This is a great opportunity for a citizen to give back to the community."

The auxiliary police work in cooperation with the police department. At the Fourth of July, for example, the police department will staff eight to 10 officers, in addition to about eight to 10 auxiliary officers.

The auxiliary is currently looking for four to six more volunteers, so they can expand their roster to about 12 or 15 officers. By adding more officers, it allows the existing auxiliary officers some flexibility on events like the Fourth of July, when officers might request to only direct traffic during the parade but spend the fireworks with their family – or vice versa.