Friends of the West Lampeter Township Police Department, also known as Friends of the Force, is a nonprofit organization comprised of community residents, businesses, and friends who work together to enhance the operation of the West Lampeter Police Department (WLPD) by providing supplemental resources, equipment, and funding for pilot programs. The Friends of the Force group has supported the WLPD since 2009. Through private donations, the Friends are able to support the purchases of equipment for public use. The resources and equipment the Friends group has supplied for the WLPD include an intoximeter DMT desktop alcohol breath testing device, Lexan body shields, annual supplemental law enforcement training, Tasers, a pet microchip scanner, new uniforms, and the installation of durable molded plastic seat covers and a center pull seat belt system in the passenger containment area in each squad car.

Recently, the Friends assisted the WLPD with providing AXON body-worn cameras for every officer. These cameras automatically activate when an officer turns on the squad car lights, or draws a firearm or a Taser. When an officer performs any of these actions, all on-scene officers' cameras activate as well. The AXON camera is meant to capture what the human eye would see, so the camera does not have night vision.

"Anything to make the officers safer and make sure they go home at the end of the night to their families is the attitude we have at Friends of the Force," said Duane Heist, a member of the Friends group. "The police do a wonderful job. They personally care for the residents in the township."

Brian Wiczkowski, chief of the WLPD, noted that the police department applied for a grant in 2020, which would have funded the body cameras. However, the department was not awarded the grant. "That's when Friends of the Force stepped in," said Wiczkowski. "All footage is uploaded to cloud storage, which the township pays for annually, but Friends provided funds for the hardware. It's a great collaboration."

"We feel appreciated by the citizens, the police department, and the local government," said James Kulp, president of the Friends of the Force. "Since I've been associated with Friends of the Force, I have not heard one negative thing about our police department."

The Friends plan to purchase two brand-new patrol cars for the WLPD later this year. To learn more about the Friends group, visit http://www.friendsoftheforce.com. Businesses and individuals who want to contribute to the support of the WLTPD may email Kulp at jimkulp@verizon.net. The department does not accept donations.