ST. GEORGE — The St. George Police Department still has only one paid police officer – Chief Todd Morris – but has added two reserve officers and is looking to add more.
Reserve officers undergo all the same training and background checks as paid officers would, but they serve as volunteers, Morris said.
“They’re a valuable asset and resource. They’re a force multiplier,” he said.
Morris said a crew of a dozen or so reserve officers fits in with St. George’s founding goals of small government with minimal bureaucracy and limited “legacy costs” – pension, retirement and retiree health care costs.
“That was always the initial plan when St. George was being formed and discussed and presented to the voters,” he said.
The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, where Morris worked for decades, will still be the primary law enforcement agency for the area, but Morris said St. George reserve officers can help at events, do traffic enforcement and handle administrative tasks.
“One way that I feel I can can contribute, to help supplement with the sheriff’s office, would be have some reserve police officers just help with some various issues or events that may be occurring,” he said.
Having reserve officers will allow St. George to quickly respond to traffic complaints, for example, that the sheriff’s office might be too busy to handle. If people are speeding on a particular street or ignoring a stop sign, a reserve officer can encourage compliance simply by being there and can ticket people if necessary.
Reserve officers must have the same training, background checks and psychological assessments as full-time police officers. They have to be certified by the state’s Police Officer Standards and Training Council and they must continue to train and recertify regularly.
Morris said he’s heard from people he knows personally who are interested in becoming St. George reserve officers.
“I’ve had several individuals reach out to me that I know that are currently POST-certified. They have transitioned into private industry, but they are current with their POST certifications, and want to help out, want to contribute to the citizens of St. George,” he said.
The city already has the insurance needed to cover the actions of reserve officers.
Some equipment will be needed. At the moment, the city only has one police vehicle. Morris said he’s looking at buying and equipping some Chevrolet Tahoes for the officers.
Reserve officers will be a great help at parades, events at BREC parks to help keep traffic unsnarled and add eyes and ears to large gatherings to keep participants safe.
“They want to still be involved with public safety, and it’s a way that they can be able to contribute back to the public. You know, they have years of experience and training, and they want to keep continue providing the service to our citizens,” Morris said.
For minor traffic crashes, St. George has a contract with On Scene Services, a private company staffed by people with law enforcement experience. Morris said the company started with two employees covering St. George calls. Now, OSS has nine full-time employees working in St. George and is working to hire a tenth. Between Sept. 25, 2025 and Aug. 24, 2026, OSS has handled 1,873 crashes, and taken 4,801 calls.
Morris said those employees also check BREC parks when they have downtime between crashes, or help with vehicle-related code enforcement, like illegally parked or inoperable vehicles.
“This project allowed me to assist our public safety partners without creating a full time police department,” Morris said. “They are short-handed and this was a way for St. George to quickly initiate a process to assist them.”
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