Colorado Springs police’s Community Advancing Public Safety (CAPS) Volunteer program will be presented with the award for Outstanding Achievement in a Law Enforcement Volunteer Program at the International Association of Chiefs of Police 121st Annual Conference and Exposition in October. 

After competing with police organizations across the world, CAPS was chosen to receive the prestigious international award, according to a statement released by police Monday. 

Volunteers have played an integral role in police operations for over 40 years, but the CAPS program, introduced in 2011, embraced a vision of transforming delivery of public safety services through volunteerism, the statement read. CAPS relied on 350 volunteers when it was established; that number has nearly doubled at 630 volunteers. In 2013, according to police, CAPS volunteers across 80 assignments within the program provided over 71,000 volunteer hours at an estimated value of $1.6 million. 

“This is a distinction our volunteers truly earned and deserve.  The CAPS program has a positive impact on the community.  The value added to our ability to provide community services through the dedication of these volunteers is unprecedented,” Colorado Springs police Chief Peter Carey was quoted in Monday’s release.

The award will be presented at the International Association of Chiefs of Police 121st Annual Conference and Exposition in Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 25. 

Here are some facts and stats from police about the contributions CAPS volunteers have had on public safety service in Colorado Springs:

For more information about CAPS, visit http://springscaps.org/.