During George ZimmermanÂ’s trial, witness Wendy Dorvial testified that she asked George Zimmerman if he wanted to be a volunteer member of Citizens on Patrol. She testified that Zimmerman turned down her offer. At closing argument, Mark OÂ’Mara, defense attorney for George Zimmerman, argued that if Zimmerman was a wannabe cop, that he would have taken the offer to join Citizens on Patrol. Mark OÂ’Mara then proceeded to outright lie about the program saying that its volunteers get to act like cops.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement produced an abstract of Citizens on Patrol (C.O.P.), taking a survey from counties using that program. The abstract provides references, one in which is the National Association of Citizens on Patrol.
NACP has an extensive, informative website. Along with describing its purpose and the benefit of being a volunteer in the community, it also provides accomplishments and the stories of volunteers. What caught my attention in regards to George Zimmerman, is the following;
“As the name implies, Citizens On Patrol are Citizens who, after being screened, background checked, and trained by their local law enforcement agency, patrol their communities acting as “Eyes and Ears” for law enforcement.”
The C.O.P. program provides vehicles with emergency lights. Volunteers ride two per car.”