Programs

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The Minnesota Police
Reserve Officers Association has identified three
principal areas of need in which to serve reserve law
enforcement officers: Training, Support, and
Recognition. The MPROA’s programs are organized
accordingly.
Training

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Agency Training
Sponsorships
Reserve police officers and reserve deputy sheriffs need
quality, comprehensive training to do their jobs safely and
effectively. Unfortunately, the limited resources of
law enforcement agencies and continual budget cuts often
mean that the training of volunteer officers is forgone by
the operational needs of agencies. The MNPROA seeks to
assist reserve units by sponsoring training events for
reserve officers. Grants are awarded for all kinds of
training. Restrictions apply. Please contact the MNPROA for
details.
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Multi-Agency Training
Sponsorships
The MNPROA believes that the public is better served when
law enforcement agencies at all levels of government
cooperate and pool resources. Police and sheriff’s reserve
units in many parts of Minnesota already work together by
providing mutual aid assistance for special events and
during emergencies, and some counties currently host
training academies for new reserve officers. The
MNPROA encourages reserve units in neighboring jurisdictions
to join forces and train together. Special consideration is
given to grant requests made by multiple agencies working
together. Restrictions apply. Please contact the MNPROA for
details.
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Conferences & Seminars
The MNPROA hosts an annual Spring Conference at a location
somewhere in Minnesota. Participation is open to all
reserve police officers and career police officers, as well
as all law enforcement and public safety personnel in
Minnesota and surrounding states. The Spring
Conference features a keynote speaker, general training
sessions for all participants, breakout sessions for
elective training or training for specific audiences, and a
banquet lunch that features the presentation of the
Minnesota Police Reserve Officer of the Year award, Reserve
Police Leadership Awards, and recognition of the
President’s Volunteer Service Award recipients.
Support / Funding /
Grants

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Bullet Resistant Vest
Initiative
The Minnesota Police Reserve Officers Association wants
every reserve law enforcement officer in Minnesota to
return home safely after each shift. Many law enforcement
agencies either cannot, will not, or simply are unable to
purchase vests for their reserve officers. To help remedy
this issue, the MNPROA will pay for 100% of the cost of any
new vest, up to $300 per vest. Many vests are currently
available at or around $300 from vendors across the nation.
Reserve Units wishing to purchase vests over $300 may do so
but are required to pay the difference involved..
Alternative funding sources to help pay the costs
differentials are currently available through Federal
grants. There is no limit to the number of vests you
request funding for - please > contact the MNPROA to get
started. Most
grant requests take approx. 2 months to process.
USDOJ - Bulletproof
Vest Partnership :
>
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bvpbasi/
GRANT APPLICATION
PROCESS :
MNPROA Grant
Request Process PDF
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Equipment Donation
Does your reserve unit need equipment that your agency’s
budget doesn’t provide? Many reserve units have special
equipment needs. The MNPROA considers grant requests for
items such as Tasers, police bicycles, life preservers etc.
Contact the Board of Directors by e-mail at
> info@mnproa.org
for additional
information.
Recognition

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Reserve Police Officer
of the Year Award
Every year, Minnesota’s finest volunteers demonstrate
selfless courage and remarkable skill in the face of
personal danger as reserve law enforcement officers.
We wish recognize the most notable of these acts with a
special award. Every law enforcement agency in Minnesota is
invited to nominate a reserve officer for this prestigious
award (or multiple officers for the same incident). Three
finalists and one award winner will be chosen from the
nominees and recognized during a lunchtime presentation at
the MNPROA Spring Conference. (Finalists and guests are
invited to attend the conference free of charge.)
Finalists’ agencies will receive duplicate plaques for
public display at their police station or sheriff’s office.
Agencies and officers are not required to be members of the
MNPROA to participate in this program.
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Reserve Police Leadership
Award
In law enforcement agencies across Minnesota, hundreds of
men and women go beyond the call of duty behind the scenes
managing reserve units and serving their agencies in
leadership roles. They are reserve unit commanders,
field training officers, reserve sergeants, and rank and
file officers leading special projects. Let’s not forget
the career police officers that serve as coordinators and
liaison officers as well as sheriffs, police chiefs and
administrators that advance the cause of reserve policing
with progressive policies and practices! Any person
involved in reserve law enforcement can nominate a reserve
officer, career officer, or civilian for this award.
Finalists will be recognized with plaques during a
lunchtime presentation at the MNPROA Spring Conference.
(Finalists and guests are invited to attend the conference
free of charge.) Finalists’ agencies will receive
duplicate plaques for public display at their police
station or sheriff’s office. Nominators and
recipients are not required to be members of the MNPROA to
participate in this program.
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President’s Volunteer Service
Award Sponsoring Organization
You can find more information about the President’s
Award > Here
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Ronald E. Perry Lifetime of
Service Award
The Board of Directors of the MNPROA is proud to announce
the creation of another award to recognize reserve law
enforcement officers for their volunteer service. In
2006, the MNPROA created the Lifetime of Service Award to
recognize those exceptionally dedicated officers who have
served for at least 30 years. The award is named for
its first recipient, Ronald E. Perry, who retired from the
Minneapolis Police Reserve after 42 years of service,
including 15 years as chief of the police reserve.
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Quarterly Unit Spotlight
Every calendar quarter the MNPROA shines the spotlight on a
police or sheriff’s reserve unit somewhere in Minnesota.
The chosen reserve unit is invited to submit a brief
narrative describing their unit’s duties, training,
accomplishments, and history, as well as a group
photograph. The spotlight article will be featured on the
MNPROA web site and in the MNPROA newsletter, Reserve
Beat. The agency will receive a handsome plaque for
display in the police station or sheriff’s office and a
press release will be sent to the local newspaper in the
city or county served by the reserve unit. To
recommend a reserve unit for the Spotlight visit the
MPROA’s web site or send a letter to the Board of
Directors. Reserve units and officers are not
required to be members of the MNPROA to participate in this
program.