From left to right: Capt. Leonard Purvis, Jon Engel, Tom Evans and CSO Connie Duke.

By Mountain Community Patrol
Contributed 

The membership of the Mountain Community Patrol (MCP) voted Jon Engel, the organizations retiring president, as its 2019 Volunteer of the Year. Engel devoted more than 240 hours of his time to the community. 

His leadership was first by example and second as a tireless coordinator ensuring all requests made to the MCP were fulfilled as resources were available. Engel retired from leadership but still continues to serve as a member of the patrol.

Tom Evans, the new president of the MCP, has set the recruitment of new members as his first priority. The current membership has served well for a long time and continues to serve but the group needs to increase its numbers with a new generation of volunteers willing to give of their time to help care for their neighbors in our mountain community. 

Back in 1994, Idyllwild experienced an increase in petty crime and, due to fiscal restraints, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department was unable to increase patrols in the area. 

The community took action and the Idyllwild Mountain Community Patrol was formed. Its members raised money for equipment, obtained a patrol vehicle and began community patrols. The volunteers soon became a viable safety and crime prevention entity in support of the Riverside Sheriff’s Department. 

Members of the MCP are not law enforcement officers and do not intervene, but assist deputies in their crime prevention mission by observing and reporting suspicious or unusual activity. 

The MCP also conducts property checks for local businesses and homeowners. Over the years the duties have expanded to include: assisting disaster relief agencies in the event of a local emergency, assist with traffic and crowd control for concerts and parades and the removal of graffiti as directed by the appropriate governing agency. 

The MCP is a nonprofit 501c3 agency operating on a small budget generated through various fundraising activities. If you are over 18 years of age and a community member in good standing, please consider joining the MCP. For more information send an email message to [email protected].