On our local level, we want to emphasize to habitants of Dutchess County that
we are here. We are available to assist with local crisis, as well as national missions. We assist in Large staging events
such as the Hot Air Balloon Festival, American Heart Walk, March of Dimes walk, Miles of Hope, Juvenile Diabetes events, etc.
We have participated in protecting our NY Waterways post 9.11 attacks. We
perform River Patrol flights when necessary, and assist in assessing Fire Departments if fires are brush fires or serious.
Our trained squadron members are available to help Dutchess County Emergency Response for any search and rescue
mission. During National Code Orange and higher, the members of the Civil Air Patrol are all on Standby to provide assistance.
We are a group of dedicated citizens that are here to help in any situation.
It’s a great organization to remind our friends and neighbors that we are here to help, and always looking for new members.
Types of
Membership
There are three types of CAP senior membership: full, sponsor
and patron.
Most join as full
members, to have the greatest opportunities to participate and contribute.
Sponsor membership is limited to parents
or guardians, aunts/uncles, or grandparents of cadets. Sponsors do not wear uniforms and pay only $20 per year in dues. They
go through the Cadet Protection Program Training (CPPT-described below), and are available to participate on a limited level
depending upon their own schedules to support the cadet program.
Patrons are those who choose to join
as a measure of support, but do not wear uniforms, participate in routine activities or hold unit staff positions.
Personnel Screening
Senior members are screened to ensure that members are those who will
be an asset to CAP. Nationally, all senior members are given a background screening by the FBI, which takes about 45
days. Areas of special importance are evidence of sex-related crimes and felonies. If the review turns up any
questionable information, the applicant will be asked for further information to enable a final determination on membership
eligibility by National Headquarters. The final approval decision is made by National Headquarters CAP and cannot be
overturned.
