Amanda,
Thank you for (almost) agreeing with me. I don't know Sgt Wade but he sounds good. One of the things I was told by people I asked on thepolice/crime situation is that sometimes there are not enough police on duty to both man the police station AND go out to respond to the call.
If that is the case I would volunteer to help the police in any way they chose. Volunteering to help the police seems like a good way to increase the police presence without spending more money. It also seems like a natural way to monitor the police at the same time you are helping them.