ABSTRACT
Adult volunteer participation in law enforcement is found at all governmental levels, but it is mostly a local endeavor. At the federal level, there exist a variety of obvious roles such as: voting in national elections, calling emergency federal “hotlines,” serving on federal juries, and participating in interest groups to influence federal policy. Other roles also exist. For example, citizen participation in identifying and reporting potential and alleged violations of various federal regulatory laws, such as bringing citizen lawsuits in the federal district courts against polluters for violations of environmental laws. The Internal Revenue Service has had a citizen reward program for many years. Also known as the “whistle-blower program,” it offers informants rewards of up to 30% of any fines and unpaid taxes recouped by the government. Other federal agencies have similar programs, and awards can be in the million-dollar range (see Kocieniewski 2012). However, citizen participation also includes mainstream organizations concerned with public safety, disaster relief, and homeland security, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the Civil Air Patrol.
