About Us

History of the Reserves

The West Saint Paul Reserves were founded in 1997 by the Police Sergeant, Manila (Bud) Shaver, III. During the first year of service, there were 10 Reserve Officers; since then, the program has grown in size and responsibility. As the program progressed, the Reserve Officers became integrated with the Police Department and now are a critical aspect to the success of the Police Department’s missions and operations on a daily basis. Currently, the Police Reserves are supervised by Police Sergeant Tom Fangel.

Reserve Structure

The West Saint Paul Police Reserves are made of 17 part-time volunteer (non-paid) Reserve Officers. Each Reserve Officer holds a full-time civilian position in the community coming from different walks in life, which brings a great attribute to the City and Police Department. Each Reserve Officer is expected to serve the community of West Saint Paul, by donating a minimum of 8 hours of patrol time, approximately 2 hours of meeting and training, as well as approximately 2 hours of event time, each month

However, most Reserve Officers exceed the annual minimum requirement of 160 hours. If a Reserve Officer chooses to they may also do uniformed ride-along with Police Officers, assisting them in their daily patrol functions.

Primary Purpose & Goal

Reservists’ primary goal is the betterment of the City of West Saint Paul and the surrounding communities. As a Reserve Officer gains more experience, they gain a better understanding of the function of the Police Department, as well as the Criminal Justice System. Some Reserve Officers have goal of being a Law Enforcement Officer or a part of the Criminal Justice system when their college education and training is complete.

Other Reserve Officers only have the intention of being a “career” Reserve Officer for the City of West Saint Paul. Reserve Officers have the primary goal of making West Saint Paul a great place to live and work. All Reserve Officers have a high job satisfaction and find it very satisfying to serve their community in any way possible.