Members of Olds Citizens On Patrol held a birthday party during a meeting on Dec. 6 at the fire hall.
That's because the group has now been in existence for just over a year.
President Gord Bueckert says membership in the group has been pretty stable at around 60 members over the past year. Some people have left for one reason or another but others have joined to take their place.
His goal this year is to double that figure, partly by increasing the visibility of the group. Because the more members there are, the more patrols that can be undertaken, and the larger those patrols can be.
As part of that effort, members of the Olds COP undertook patrols during Midnight Madness, and they plan to provide hot chocolate and cookies when the CP Rail Holiday Train comes to Olds Dec. 11. Bueckert has spoken about COP to different groups as well.
"We were at Midnight Madness; we got lots and lots of interest. So we hope we have a few (new) people coming out and trying to take part in this," Bueckert says.
"We're really pushing for putting our name out there and hoping to get people who want to be part of the group."
Bueckert says the idea of driving around patrolling the streets for a couple of hours late at night may not be for everyone, but he sees it as a public service.
"It's hard on a person, because you don't get any younger," he says.
"But my big thing is I think of my community and my neighbourhood and my people that I'm doing it for -- myself included, you know.
"If we can double our patrols by doubling our numbers, I mean, it's just going to make our community safer and safer and keep the people that we don't want to be there hopefully moving on or away."
