The Town of Sylva is a beautiful and fun town with lots of opportunities to engage with one another. Our police department consists of a total of 15 sworn officers and we provide police services 24/7. This means that when we have large events, our officers often find themselves working during their days off to staff events.

Filling event staffing positions is a common challenge for nearly all small police departments. This is why the Sylva Police Department has developed a citizen volunteer program, The program is called “VIPS” or Volunteer in Public Service.

The VIPS are a group of community volunteers that are willing to help Sylva Police Department during community events. The VIPS program consists of individuals with a broad variety of backgrounds. They are criminal justice students, retired officers, business owners, and local residents of Sylva. Much like our Community Care Liaison Program, this is another area where the Sylva Police Department partners with WCU students.

The Volunteers in Police / Public Service (VIPS) program is a volunteer organization committed to assisting the Sylva Police Department in their goal of enhancing community safety, protecting life and property, reducing crime, and reducing the fear of crimes.

We are very grateful for our VIPS help. They have already proven themselves to be an asset to our department and our town. We look forward to this programs growth. If you have any questions about the VIPS program, you can email VIPS@townofsylva.org or call the police department at (828) 586-2916. If you are interested in joining the VIPS program. Please click on the link below to fill out the application form.