This week, members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office V.O.I.C.E. (Volunteer Observers Impacting Community Effort) program presented Sheriff Mike Scott with a record “check” for nearly $1.2 million. The “check” signifies the amount of money the Lee County Sheriff’s Office saved taxpayers by using volunteers instead of paid personnel to do a wide variety of jobs including traffic control, business and neighborhood patrols, neighborhood canvassing, picking up found property, tagging abandoned vehicles as well as many clerical and operational support duties.
The nearly $1.2 million in savings was realized thanks to V.O.I.C.E. members that volunteered more than 54,000 hours of time last year.
V.O.I.C.E. members Ed Shumate and Dominic Pittro were named Volunteers of the Year and Dennis Hanny was recognized as the new record holder in number of hours volunteered with more than 3100 in 2011.
Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott calls the work of V.O.I.C.E. members vital and unheralded. “These are special people with an admirable work ethic,” says Sheriff Scott. “They offer a diverse array of life experiences and an unselfish commitment to their community.”