Woodbury Looks to Add to Police Reserves

Woodbury resident Jason Hedican is an attorney.

On weekend nights, however, he can be found taking drunks to detox in Hastings, transporting suspects to the Washington County Jail or making sure the city’s parks are clear after hours.

Hedican is a member of the city’s police reserves, a group of volunteers whose main objective is to keep full-fledged officers on the streets and provide a presence at civic events such as or .

“It’s complimentary,” Hedican said. “We exist with the purpose of trying to extend the resources of the sworn police officers.”

The city is looking to add another three or four reserve officers for a total of about 15. Applicants go through an extensive background check and psychological evaluation, and must make a long-term commitment. The program was established in 1995, Hedican said, and has had reserves from 18 years old to 60.

Marc Olson, a sworn Woodbury officer who also serves as a liaison with the reserves, said the program is vital to . “We need them.”

“They play a huge role,” he said, noting their work during training as victims or perpetrators, crowd control during and function as a deterrent when they’re out patrolling neighborhoods and retail areas.

Reserve officers wear the same uniform and carry much of the same equipment, and patrol the city in pairs in the same squad cars as the regular officers, Olson said.

“They only thing they don’t have is a gun,” he said.

Most people can’t tell the difference between a sworn and reserve officer, Olson said, and that helps when they are out patrolling the streets.

Hedican has long had an interest in law enforcement, and planned to become an FBI agent before his eyesight held him back. There are typically two types of people who become police reserves: those who are looking for experience as they pursue a career in law enforcement and those who have a respect for the force and simply want to volunteer, he said.

“I’m part of that second group,” Hedican said. “I thought that it was a unique way to blend an interest of law enforcement with a way to give back to the community.”

Being a reserve also gives him a better understanding of the inner workings of the department, and Hedican said he also appreciates the thanks from the community and the sworn officers themselves.

“It’s very gratifying,” Hedican said.

Olson, meanwhile, was once a reserve officer himself. He came out of the Army and was looking for experience and latched on with the Woodbury reserves.

“It’s a lot of fun,” he said.

But being a reserve is not all animal calls or making sure the Woodbury Days parade route is set. Hedican recalled helping secure a scene after a Woodbury officer was shot a few years ago.

“It brought home the value and the sacrifice that our sworn officers put on the line,” Hedican said.

For more information about the program, visit the city’s website.

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