Learning what it takes to volunteer

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers

JOINING A GOOD CAUSE- Above, Diane Kato, left, and Ellie James, both of Camarillo, sign up for the Camarillo Citizens Patrol Academy during the introduction class last week. Candidates must submit an application, sit for an interview and clear a background check to become volunteers for the Camarillo Police Department. Cmdr. Stephen DeCesari, Camarillo's chief of police, right, talks about the Citizens Patrol, a group of volunteers who work beside deputies to handle a wide variety of assignments, including vacation house checks and traffic and crowd control for large events.