The Lake Odessa Police Reserve maintains volunteers that work as a second officer in the patrol car, primarily on weekends and evenings, providing instant back-up for the regular officers when it is most needed. The reserve force also provides the department with extra manpower resources that can be deployed quickly for critical incidents and other situations that require more officers than would otherwise be available.
Another major function of the unit is to provide assistance with traffic and crowd control during parades and special events such as the Lake Odessa Fair and other summer events. In 2011, the reserve officers volunteered 318 hours at special events fulfilling duties that would have had to otherwise be filled by paid officers and resulted in a payroll expense savings of $3,816.