Baldwin Park police ask committee to fund two community service officers and support vehicles

Police Chief delivered a detailed request to the Baldwin Park Stakeholders Oversight Committee on April 8 for two Community Service Officer (CSO) positions and associated equipment and vehicles, saying the roles would extend the police department’s presence in parks, plazas and shopping centers and help address blight and quality-of-life issues.

The committee heard the proposal as part of a larger “Community Service Officer Package.” The chief said the CSOs would work primarily in parks and plazas — often on foot or in marked vehicles — and handle duties such as taking reports where suspects are not present, parking enforcement, evidence collection when technicians are unavailable, and supporting the department’s homeless outreach and core teams. “They will be in uniform, and they will be in, obviously, marked vehicles that show that they’re CSOs,” the Police Chief said.

Why it matters: Committee members repeatedly said residents have asked for more visible safety in parks and shopping areas. Committee members asked how the CSOs would be deployed, how much of their time would be spent at parks versus administrative duties and how the positions would affect the department’s staffing. The chief said the CSOs are intended to be a force multiplier — increasing day-to-day visibility while allowing sworn patrol officers to focus on emergencies and crime investigations.

Program design, training and equipment The chief said the city previously had CSO roles that shifted to administrative duties and that two CSO positions now sit vacant. He described several program elements: background checks, physical and psychological screening, a short list of technical requirements such as a valid driver’s license, and a course of training that would include a regional arrest-authority course the presentation cited as “32 PC” (regional arrest training), in‑house arrest and control, defensive tactics, de‑escalation and mental health awareness. He also described a career-path concept in which CSO work could feed into future sworn hiring.

Budget and vehicles The presentation listed a vehicle estimate of about $35,000 for three vehicles under a five‑year lease scenario and included costs for mobile digital computers, lights, in‑car video and body‑worn cameras. The chief said staff are still researching whether purchasing instead of leasing would save money. Training costs were described in the presentation (a figure discussed during Q&A was about $377 per trainee). The chief said the CSOs would be unarmed but carry nonlethal tools, for example a taser and pepper spray.

Committee questions and staff directions Members asked for deployment details (how the CSOs would cover multiple parks) and for an estimate of how often CSOs would be pulled from parks to perform other duties. The chief said his aim was for CSOs to spend the majority of their time in parks and to have at least one CSO scheduled per shift, with flexible scheduling to match community needs.

Committee members also pressed staff for greater transparency on vehicle needs and the distinction between CSO and core-team equipment. As a result, committee members instructed staff to return at the next meeting with: - a purchase‑versus‑lease analysis and final recommended procurement method for vehicles and equipment; - a revised budget that separates the CSO personnel/equipment request from the core team vehicle request; - a deployment plan showing proposed shifts/coverage and metrics that staff will track during the first year (crime/response metrics and community‑engagement data); and - options for a one‑ or two‑year funding approval window plus an approach to disclose employment‑funding status in job postings.

No formal funding vote was taken at the meeting. Committee members discussed the possibility of approving the first fiscal‑year personnel funding while asking for a conditional review the following year to evaluate outcomes and sustainability.

Public comments prior to the presentation included concerns about Measure BP spending priorities and requests for more visible investments in parks and local amenities; a separate speaker representing the Baldwin Park Senior Club said the club had received a new bagel machine paid through the program.

What’s next: Staff will revise the transmittal and return with the requested purchase‑vs‑lease analysis and a clearer breakdown of costs and timelines. Council budget decisions for the next fiscal year will affect whether the CSO positions become permanent.