To look at them, you wouldn’t know Sgt. Don Thompson and his team are any different than other Suffolk police officers.

They wear the signature blue uniforms and carry guns, handcuffs and other tools of the trade. They have passed the exact same training as their fellow officers, earning the authority to do what it takes to uphold law and keep the community safe.

The only difference – and it’s a big one – is that Thompson and other members of Suffolk’s Auxiliary Police Force don’t pocket a paycheck at the month’s end.

“It’s definitely not about the money,” said Thompson, a mechanical engineer and 20-year veteran of the city‘s auxiliary unit. “And it’s not about the thrill and pride of wearing a uniform. That honeymoon wears off after a couple of years.

“It’s about dedication. Once you start something like this, you are building a legacy of life and you realize that people depend on you and your squad for help.”

The Suffolk Police Department started its auxiliary unity back in the 1970s. When the city and Nansemond County merged, the county police officers who didn’t join Suffolk’s paid force were asked to serve on the newly formed auxiliary unit.

At one time, during the 1990s, Thompson remembers when there were nearly 20 auxiliary officers willing to volunteer the minimum of 20 hours monthly to the police department.

But in 2006, the city adopted a state Department of Criminal Justice policy that requires auxiliary officers to go through the same training that a paid officer receives.

It is an intensive commitment of time for people who already work 40 or more hours a week on their respective jobs, Thompson said. Auxiliary officers had to attend the police training academy at least two nights a week, plus athe occasional weekend, for several months for training.

The work can be stressful and both emotionally and physically draining, Thompson said. But after 20 years, Thompson can’t imagine life without volunteering for police department.

“I like the type of work,” he said recently. “There is a bond that forms among police police officers … that is greater that anything I’ve ever experienced on any sports team I’ve played on. I have so much respect for the men and women on the police department.”

Auxiliary Officer Doug Deloatch, who works at Intenrational Paper, agreed, adding that he always wanted to work in law enforcement. He joined Suffolk’s auxilairy unit in 1999, not long after he got out of the Marines.

“I jumped at the opportunity,” he said. “You have got to love the job … and have a passion and desire to do it.”

Over the years, Deloatch says he’s see it all: high speed pursuits, fatalities, homicides and the like.

“I just like to help other people and the Suffolk Police Department.”

Senior Police Officer Chris Butler, who acts as the liasion between the department and the auxiliary, believes the volunteers are vital to the functions of the police department.

That’s particularly true during special events, when additional manpower is frequently needed for traffic and security operations: Peanut Fest, Taste of Suffolk, and most impotantly, during the April tornados that struck the city.

“They save the city money, and they save wear and tear on the police officers who would otherwise have to work double shifts to cover these events,” said Butler. “Perhaps the best moment working with the auxiliary officers was during the tornado.

“They worked all day on their jobs, fought the traffic to get home that night, and went home and threw on their uniforms,” he said. “They manned their positions until early the next morning, working double duty to help the citizens of Suffolk, and then turned around and went back to work the next morning.

“They are an extremely important, dedicated group who are willing to assume the same risks as paid police officers.”

Auxiliary officers come from all professions – teaching, defense contractors, and at least a couple of retired police officers who didn’t want to entirely give up their careers, Butler added.

“We’re looking forward to growing the auxiliary force,” he said, noting that it is an excellent recruiting tool for the department.