Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Riverbank moves one community resource deputy to patrol to boost after-hours coverage
Summary
Chief Ridenour told the council that reallocating an already-requested community resource deputy (CRD) to a patrol swing shift will increase evening and weekend coverage and reduce response times; council approved the reallocation 5-0 and discussed a future request for an additional deputy costing roughly $160,000 per year.
Chief Ridenour presented Riverbank Police Services’ staffing, shift structure and calls-for-service trends and recommended reallocating an existing, previously requested community resource deputy to a patrol (swing-shift) assignment to improve after-hours coverage.
"Our first recommendation tonight is gonna be reallocate the already requested CRD position to patrol operations," Chief Ridenour said, explaining the city currently has 23 allocated sworn positions and a staffing model with A and B squads on 12-hour rotations. He told council swing-shift vacancies have been frequent (about 156–158 unfilled shifts in 2024–25) and that response times lengthen during non-business hours from an average of about 3.6 minutes during the day to about 5.7 minutes after 5 p.m.
Ridenour said the U.S. Supreme Court decision restoring the ability to enforce trespass in public spaces changed earlier demands on CRDs and freed some CRD capacity. He recommended placing the reallocated deputy on the B squad (3 p.m.–3 a.m.) so peak busy periods have three to four deputies available. Council members asked about timing; the chief said Riverbank is first on the sheriff’s recruitment list and new deputies could be available as soon as April, though academy and field training adds time.
Council discussed maintaining a CRD position (staff emphasized an existing CRD would remain) and the importance of community outreach; the chief also outlined a future budget-year request to add a second patrol deputy (estimated fully loaded cost about $160,000/year) to move the department toward a benchmark of about 1 deputy per 1,000 residents. The council approved the resolution authorizing the reallocation by roll call vote 5-0.
