RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has reopened its service center in Rancho Murieta after it was closed at the beginning of the pandemic four years ago. 

This reopening is in partnership with the Rancho Murieta Community Services District. The two agencies marked the occasion with a grand opening event held at the district office on July 31.

Initially, two VIPS (Volunteers in Partnership with the Sheriff) will operate the center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays. They will provide information and take non-emergency police reports. 

The plan is to expand the program as more VIPS are recruited. The VIPS will meet with residents in a designated area set up in the reception area of the district office.

Assistant Sheriff Matthew Petersen told a small crowd that the service centers are invaluable to the sheriff’s office and the community alike because of the involvement of community residents.

“We serve the community but we also need that exchange,” he said. “We couldn’t be happier to open another service center.”

District Board President Tim Maybee said he was speaking on behalf of his fellow board members and the community by thanking the Sheriff’s Office for its support at all levels. 

 As for the service center, Maybee described the reopening as a second chance that many other communities don’t get. 

“This is just a maturation process for our community to get this back up and running again,” Maybee said.

The grand opening also attracted Sacramento Supervisor Sue Frost and Supervisor-elect Rosario Rodriguez and more than a dozen deputies who serve the area. 

The two VIPS who will initially operate the service center are residents Elizabeth Jacobsen and Larry Casares. 

After she left her full-time job, Jacobsen said, she wanted to be involved in the community and give back. 

“This seemed to be a good way to mix both of them,” Jacobsen said.

Jacobsen began volunteering at the Sheriff’s Central Division two years ago. 

“It’s been a long process to get this reopened,” she said. “It’s nice to be here.”

Casares decided to volunteer after cutting back on his volunteer work as a chaplain in law enforcement and more recently for communities who lack resources for a chaplaincy program.

Casares’ nickname was Chappy as in “Chappy is in the house,” when he worked at police departments. He has also volunteered at the Rancho Cordova Police Department, which has a contract with the Sheriff’s Office. 

“I also do VIPS patrol whenever they need a fill-in,” Casares said.

Before the pandemic, the VIPS program operated out of the James L Noller Safety Center across the parking lot from the district office. However, the trailer that previously housed the service center is out of commission because of needed repairs. 

The late Jacque Villa was the cornerstone of the previous service center for more than 16 years. In addition to taking minor police reports during her twice-weekly office hours, Villa checked phone messages daily from her home and fielded other phone calls at all hours of the day from residents needing advice. Villa and the other VIPs also provided another set of ears and eyes for district security by patrolling twice a week in their marked truck. 

Rancho Murieta residents interested in volunteering with the VIPS can contact [email protected].