Citizen Corps Councils
Organizing a Citizen Corps Council
Communities all across America already embrace the principles of Citizen Corps. There are many
elected officials, business leaders, and involved citizens already doing their part to make their community a great place to
live. Many communities also already have an organization that promotes public safety, disaster preparedness, and crime
prevention in the community. No doubt, there is a strong base already involved in this effort in your own community. These
activities are at the heart of Citizen Corps. The Citizen Corps Councils will bring together leaders from the relevant sectors of your community to coordinate the
Citizen Corps effort. The purpose of the council is to have all decision makers at the table to manage existing volunteer
resources, to leverage mutually supportive endeavors among the represented groups, and to direct the overall local plans to
implement Citizen Corps in the community. Each community should have only one group that is implementing the Citizen
Corps. Each community and region will have to determine its geographic boundaries and its own membership. Suggested membership
of the Citizen Corps Council, or similar entity, includes the following: The primary qualification to participating on the council is making a commitment to educate the public on safety, to help
citizens take an active role in protecting themselves from harm, to teach citizens what to do in the event of a crisis, and
to expand volunteer opportunities that will make the community safer. You do not need to create a new organization to start Citizen Corps. Leveraging existing resources is strongly
encouraged. If your community already has a strong team that brings together all sectors of your community, including first
responders and volunteer groups, you may want to ask this group to take on the responsibility of promoting Citizen Corps and
to acknowledge this group as affiliated with the Citizen Corps. There may be an existing group in your community that includes many of the appropriate participants, such as local
emergency planning committees, that could take the lead on joining with additional relevant parties to implement Citizen
Corps. There are a number of national organizations, such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, that could be key
participants in your local management structure. If your community does not have local representation of these groups, you
may want to contact the national organization to see how you can start a local affiliate. However you choose to establish the local management structure, this group should be charged with managing all aspects of
Citizen Corps at the local level and with bringing Citizen Corps programs and principles to residents of the community. And
there should be only one group officially assigned this responsibility. The purpose of the Citizen Corps Council, or similar coordinating group, is to develop a systematic, efficient, and
effective method for providing public education, stimulating wide-spread participation, and organizing volunteer programs to
increase the safety of your community. Having duplicative efforts or competing entities is not productive. Depending on the size of your community, you may need to have a steering committee within the Citizen Corps Council and
subcommittees to focus on particular efforts. Subcommittees could be assigned a particular function, such as marketing and
communications, or a particular focus, such as K-12 education on emergency preparedness. Leadership within the council is critical for success. This leader could be an elected community
official, an executive with one of your communitys major employers, the head of your communitys economic development group,
or a leader from the volunteer community. Because of the first responders role in the event of an emergency, it is
suggested that first responder representatives not take the lead role for the council. The most important qualifications for the leader of the council are the ability to motivate team members to reach your
collective goal of making your community a safer place to live, work, and play and of providing opportunities for all
citizens to participate; and a commitment to broad community representation. If the local elected official is not the
operational leader of the council, it will be critical that he or she provide clear and public support to the council through
public endorsements and be kept informed of council activities. While this initiative provides tremendous flexibility for you to implement Citizen Corps in a way
that best suits your community, some general responsibilities of the local organizing group include: Councils should consult with a local attorney regarding any risks or liabilities that might arise
from its activities. Most local bar associations encourage members to provide pro bono (free of charge) services to
worthwhile causes. A councils potential exposure to liability for acts or omissions of its staff or volunteers will vary
from state to state. Individuals who participate in council activities should be advised of their potential risks of liability under state law
as well. Some volunteer activities may be covered by so-called Good Samaritan laws in the various states, these laws protect
volunteers who render assistance in limited circumstances. Councils may consider obtaining release from liability and
similar instruments if the local counsel deems it necessary.
Liability Issues