New kind of cop in San Jose: ‘Service officers’

[KamaAina]

http://blog.sfgate.com/crime/2014/08/20/new-kind-of-cop-in-san-jose-service-officers/

That next call to San Jose police for help could be answered not by the men and women in blue, but a community service officer in light-blue threads instead.

On Thursday, 25 community service officer recruits will graduate from a five-week academy and will begin a three-week field training program. They will be paired up with sworn officers who will help train them to respond to lower-priority calls for service such as non-injury traffic collisions, vehicle theft, property crimes and vandalism. ...

The CSOs will wear light blue shirts with shoulder patches reading “San Jose Police Community Service Officer” and dark blue pants. Instead of guns, they will be armed with pepper spray and police radios that they can use to summon officers. They will drive around in all-white Ford vehicles with amber light bars....

Such programs aren’t new to the Bay Area. Many departments employ civilian community service officers in some capacity. But the program comes at a critical time for the San Jose force, which has seen its members leaving in large numbers because of budget cuts and political squabbles.

Indeed. Funny how I didn't see anything about this in Mayor Reed's house organ, the Mercury News.

[pinto]

1. Depending on the training involved, I think this a good move.

[bayareaboy]

2. Do you mean a police represenative who delivers service...

I can deal with that.

Although after a few years working with and seeing the garbage that meter enforcers have to go thru. I hope they hire folks who deal with, and not go home and kick the dog.

[LeftyMom]

3. The cops here mostly deal with that kind of stuff by not dealing with it.

So this seems like a halfway decent idea to me, depending on the implementation.

[bayareaboy]

4. I mean as law enforcement officers, play the old game ...

of telling you to get a lawyer of talk to whomever, as long as they don't have to do anything themselves. So put it on someone who might address the issues given to them.

[mackerel]

5. I see the pros and cons of this plan. It has potential if developed properly.