The Riverside Auxiliary Police are looking for a few good men, and women.

The volunteer group was founded during World War II when full-time police officers were called up to fight in World War II. It is now down to only five active members, down from some 20 or auxiliary officers some years ago.

“We need people,” said Ken Kuratko, the president of the Riverside Auxiliary Police. “We want to see this thing continue.”

Auxiliary police officers perform a variety of tasks for the Riverside Police Department. Auxiliary officers spend one weekend a month riding in squad car with a full time officer on the 4 p.m. to midnight shift on Friday and Saturday nights. They also help out on with such tasks as crowd control and traffic control at special events such as Oktoberfest, the Fourth of July celebration, and other special events. They also do foot patrols on Halloween.

Auxiliary officers must pass the 40-hour gun course required for all police officers. They must be Riverside residents and undergo a rigorous background check. Auxiliary police are sworn officers. They have police power only within the Riverside town limits.

They usually act under the supervision of a full-time Riverside Police officer. They can detain suspects, but can only make arrests under the supervision of a full-time officer, according to Riverside Assistant Police Chief Thomas Weitzel. If they see something suspicious when they are on their own, they usually call in a full-time officer. They spend one night a month training.

Auxiliary police officers wear uniforms that identify them as police officers.

Weitzel says that auxiliary officers provide an important service to Riverside’s small department.

“They’re a little bit under-appreciated,” said Weitzel. “They’re a long-established group. They are giving back to the community. They supplement our manpower. If they disband, the department would lose a valuable resource.”

In some communities auxiliary police are paid, but in Riverside it is a volunteer position. The auxiliary police officers are paid only a token one dollar a month for insurance purposes.

“We had an officer leave us to be a paid auxiliary in another community,” said Kuratko.

Kuratko is hoping to attract some young blood into auxiliary’s ranks.

“We’re trying to get young people in town to become potential members,” said Kuratko. He does not want a tradition that began more than 60 years ago to die out.

“We don’t want to see it just phase out,” said Kuratko.

But he acknowledges that in today’s fast-paced world it is harder to find volunteers than it once was.