Citizen Crime Patrol to Use Cell Phones

The 30 volunteers of the Fillmore Citizen Patrol are now able to use cellular telephones to report crime and disturbances, thanks to a donation by AT&T.;

AT&T; donated five phones and is providing 30 minutes of calls a month for each without charge, said Sheriff’s Deputy Jerry Peterson, who oversees the patrol.

Until recently, the volunteers, who help the county Sheriff’s Department patrol the streets of Fillmore, used radio to call the sheriff’s station. However, many volunteers felt shy using the police radio, Peterson said.

“We’ll get more calls now that we have the telephones,” Peterson said. “Many people felt uncomfortable using the radio and we did not get as many calls as we should have.”