By DEBBIE ROBERTS
Correspondent – Daytona Beach News-Journal

Just six days before Charlie Rago turns 92, he will retire as a volunteer for the Port Orange Police Department.

After serving nearly 26 years as a member of the Volunteers in Police Service, the Port Orange resident is preparing to bid farewell before celebrating his Aug. 11 birthday.

His last day with the department will be Wednesday.

“I think I have to start living my own life again but the police department is like my second home and I’m going to miss them,” said Rago. “I’ll go back and haunt them once in awhile.”

Rago joined the volunteer program, called VIPS within the department, on Nov. 3, 1983. He and his wife of 66 years, Mary, had just moved to Florida from New York City, where he was with the auxiliary police for 13 years.

A Navy veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Cold War, Rago said he was delighted to become one of VIPS’ 38 charter members.

“I liked the idea of protecting the neighborhoods in Port Orange,” said Rago, who shared patrol duties with his wife until she retired in 1993. “There used to be a lot of crime in some of these areas, but it went down when we started patrolling.”

Rago described his volunteer service, which often totaled hundreds of hours annually, as some of the best years of his life. Working alongside fellow volunteers and sworn police officers, he performed duties ranging from traffic control and disaster assistance to animal trap disbursement and crime scene protection.

On-call 24 hours a day, Rago was always ready to lend a hand, said Port Orange Assistant Police Chief Wayne Miller.

“Any time we needed someone, whether in the middle of the night or early in the morning, for fires, floods, hurricanes, car crashes . . . Charlie was ready to put his uniform on and come out quickly,” said Miller. “He still does to this day, at 92 years young, and that’s truly amazing.”

Miller, who was promoted to his current position in January, said he first met Rago when he joined the department 24 years ago as a rookie cop. His nickname for Rago is “RoboVIP,” a lighthearted reference to the indestructible character in the movie “RoboCop.”

“It’s because of all the things he has done,” Miller explained. “Jumping out of airplanes at the age of 80 and 85, the people he’s known, the places he’s been, the careers that he’s had. It’s just amazing for one person to do all this and still be so energetic.”

Rago still regularly attends military reunions throughout Florida and out of state, always eager to reminisce with old friends while visiting memorial sites or retired battleships.

Another aspect of his life includes meeting or friendships with several celebrities, including Ernest Borgnine, Tom Cruise, whom he met in Daytona Beach during the filming of “Days of Thunder,” Dennis Quaid, when he worked as an extra in the 1993 movie “Wilder Napalm,” and the late comedian Red Skelton, whom he met while serving in the Navy.

When Rago retires, he and his wife plan to travel and spend more time with their three children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. A trip to Europe is also on the agenda, he said.

“We’re happy for him, but truly sorry to see him go because he’s been an asset to this organization and to this community,” Miller said.

Another well-wisher is Maj. Paul Juszkiewicz, VIPS commander, who worked with Rago for 16 years.

“Charlie is a terrific person and we could always count on him,” said Juszkiewicz. “I’ve enjoyed working with him and I’ll always be grateful to him for suggesting I join the volunteer organization.”

Rago accepts the praise, but prefers instead to emphasize the “great bunch of people” he’s had the pleasure of knowing — volunteers, police officers and other city officials, as well as citizens on the street.

“I enjoyed working with them all and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing,” he said.

Be a volunteerInterested in joining the Volunteers in Police Service? · VIPS are civilian volunteers ages 21 and older who have passed a background check, are trained in traffic control and CPR, and donate hours every month either on patrol or administrative assignment.

 

· Some volunteer duties include road closures, crime scene protection, disaster assistance, vacation house watches, bicycle safety rodeos, neighborhood and business patrols, boat ramp supervision, courier services and administrative support.

· Applications are available in the lobby of the Port Orange Police Department, 1395 Dunlawton Ave., or call the VIPS office at 386-506-5825 for more information.