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Requirements
Message from NRLO Director of Training, Captain Chuck
Mantkus
Message from Leon Schumacher, NRLO
Director
A Little Texas
History.............. 
NRLO
Director Initiates 1971 Legalization of Texas
Reserves 
NRLO's Director, Leon Schumacher, has been
involved with Reserve Law Enforcement since 1969. In 1970, he
founded "Reserve Law Officers Association of America." In
1970, as Founder/Marketing Director/Publisher of the national
publication, "Reserve Law," Schumacher was instrumental in and
pushed hard for the passage of legislation making Texas
Reserves legal. After 1971, this landmark legislation passed in Texas was
used as a model by many states
to enact laws legalizing Reserves for their states.
The not-so-easy task of getting Texas
Reserves legalized was attempted and abandoned several times by
other organizations. Thanks to the relentless efforts of
Schumacher and of other Association Management (like Otto
Vehle ), for the first time in it's history the
"Lone Star" state officially recognized Reserve Law Enforcement
Officers.
Counties and communities in Texas had
long used "Reserve Officers." It was not until June of 1968,
that their legal status was queried. This came about as the
result of an opinion by then Attorney General Crawford C. Martin
when he was asked to rule whether Police/Sheriff's
"Reserve" Officers may be legally constituted. As the law stood
at that time, the answer from the AG was NO.
The staff spent 4-1/2 weeks in Austin
monitoring the progress of the bills and keeping abreast of any
amendments. They worked closely with many friends of Law
Enforcement. To hasten the final passage of the bills,
thousands of letters were written by Texas Reserves and their
supporters; and many appeared before committees. Because
of the many hours devoted by Association staff and Reserves across
the state, this legislation passed and was
finally signed into law.
S.B. 72, S.B. 17, and S.B. 43 were
sponsored by Senator Chet Brooks of Houston; and they were signed
into law by Texas Governor Preston Smith. Effective September
1, 1971, these bills provided for the authorization, appointment,
powers, duties, and qualifications of Reserve Police, Reserve Deputy
Sheriffs, and Reserve Deputy Constables.
The 1971 legislation
passed regulated Texas Reserves as
follows:
"Appointments as Reserve Law
Enforcement Officers to be made by the governing body (County
Commissioners or City Council to "authorize" - and Sheriff,
Constable or Chief of Police to "appoint"). Members serve at the
discretion of the Chief , Sheriff, or Constable.
The governing body shall establish
qualifications and standards of training, and may limit the size of
the force. Reserves may carry weapons while discharging
official duties, and they will be duly constituted Peace
Officers. They may serve without compensation, but the
governing body may provide uniform compensation based solely upon
time served while in training for, or in the performance of official
duties.
The governing body may provide
hospital assistance to those who sustain injury in the course of
performing official duties in the same manner as provided for
full-time Officers; and Reserves shall be eligible for death
benefits as set out in chapter 86. Acts of the 60th
Legislature, Regular Session, 1967, as amended (Article 6228f,
Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes). However, no Reserve will be
permitted to become eligible for participation in any pension fund
to which Regular Officers may be entitled.
Reserves are to act only in a
supplementary capacity to the Regular force and in no case assume
the full-time duties of Regular Officers without first complying
with all requirements of such Regular Officers. The law does
not limit the power of the Mayor or any general city to summon into
service "Special Police." 
The Texas Commission on Law
Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE)
shall establish minimum training standards for Reserves which must
be fulfilled before any person may act as a Peace
Officer before the effective date of the act may be appointed
to temporarily serve as a Reserve Law Enforcement Officer without
fulfilling the minimum training standards ..... but in no case shall
any person serve as a Reserve Officer unless he has fulfilled the
minimum standards set by TCLEOSE.
###
Message from NRLO
Director
Leon
Schumacher
"ULTIMATE
VOLUNTEERS" Save $Millions for the Citizens of
this Country
Volunteer Spirit Alive in the
U.S.
Join in and Choose
"NRLO eTraining"
a Free NRLO
Membership
There is an
enormous amount of Law Enforcement done by volunteers throughout the Nation. Thousands
of man-hours are donated to citizens and to city, county, and state
Law Enforcement agencies at no cost to the
citizens or to the budgets of the governing
departments. These Reserve Law
Enforcement Officers are described as " Ultimate
Volunteers " by NRLO and the " Reserve Law
OFFICER On-Line."
With a properly
trained Reserve Unit *, some communities are
realizing savings adding up to an amount in the tens of thousands of
dollars each year, and some are realizing over one million dollars
($1,000,000.00) per year. * Some of the above links require NRLO eTraining
Membership More
Information
In a 1994 report from
the Marion County Sheriff's Department in Indianapolis, Indiana, the
Department realized a savings for the county of over one million
dollars ($1,000,000.00) per year over the two years of 1992 and
1993. Over the two-year period, this "Ultimate Volunteer"
group saved taxpayers over two million dollars
($2,000,000.00). The trend continues across the
country.
Such savings greatly enhances
the ability of Law Enforcement Departments and of governing agencies
to provide financial support needed by Reserve (and Regular)
Officers in getting adequate training and continued
education.
Also, the savings can allow
for the hiring of new Departmental personnel, the implementation of
new Departmental programs, and the purchasing of needed
equipment.
To maintain an effective
Reserve Unit, the training must be up-to-date and must conform to
each state's
governing commission on Law Enforcement Officers standards and
education.
Reserves of recent years spend
many hours of their free time going to academies to learn how to
effectively serve their Departments. These Reserves learn how
to back up and support Regular Officers by becoming efficient and
able Law Enforcement Officers.
After 34 years of experience
in reporting on Reserve Law Enforcement, it is clear that one of the
most important tools of an Officer today is accurate, dependable
information. The " Reserve Law OFFICER on-line" needs the input of "Ultimate
Volunteers" from all across the nation. If you wish to disseminate information on your
Reserve Unit's training and programs, the "Reserve Law OFFICER
" is on-line to serve you.
When received on a timely
basis, such information is of great benefit to other Unit Leaders
and to their Reserves. So, get those newsletters, articles,
photographs and comments in as soon as possible. There are
features available on this site to get them to us by e-mail, snail
mail, fax, or phone. We are looking forward to hearing from
you and reporting on you, your Reserve Unit, and on your fellow
Reserves.
In the "Sprit of
Volunteerism"
FREE NRLO
Membership
Become a NRLO eTraining Member
Sign Up Now for FREE "eTraining"
Membership
Some of the links on NRLO's
web pages require a "password" to access them. Join NRLO's
FREE eTraining Membership
and sign up for Captain Mantkus' "Getting
Started" Series featuring " Advantages " of having a Reserve Unit,
"Minimum Training" syllabuses, and more. You will also have
access to the "Basic
Education" Series by Captain Mantkus featuring "Crime Scene Basics," "Defensive Tactics," "Prisoner Transport," "Crime Scene Evidence,"
and much more.
"Computer Talk," "Helicopters in Law Enforcement," "Accident Scene,"
"Firearms," and "Conference
Central" are just a few of the newly added features to
nrlo.net.
NATIONAL RESERVE LAW OFFICERS
ASSOCIATION
PO BOX 6505 SAN ANTONIO,
TEXAS 78209
(210) 805-8917 FAX: (210)
804-2463 | 
