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South Lake Tahoe police chief outlines 4-year strategic plan prioritizing community engagement, training and technology
Summary
Chief Jeff Robertson told the Police Advisory Commission he plans to focus on community partnerships, succession planning, expanded training and greater use of technology (in-car cameras, license-plate readers, public data portals) while seeking accreditation and tighter budget stewardship.
Jeff Robertson, chief of police for the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, told the Police Advisory Commission he is advancing a four-year strategic vision that emphasizes partnership with residents, succession planning and greater transparency.
"Our mission is working in partnership with the community to protect life and property and providing leadership in solving neighborhood problems and enhancing the quality of life in our city," Robertson said, framing the department's goals around the values he summarized with the acronym "GREECE." He described succession planning, visibility, training and accountability as central priorities.
Robertson detailed concrete steps to deliver that vision: expanding community-facing communications on social media and a public incident map; restructuring the field-training program with weekly and phase tests; offering tuition reimbursement and leadership development; and using body-worn camera footage for quality control and training. He said the department has deployed Axon Fleet in patrol vehicles and is leveraging license-plate reader search tools to support investigations.
On school safety, Robertson said the department supports placing a School Resource Officer at the middle school but emphasized funding constraints. "We don't have the money for an additional personnel," he said, adding that past tobacco grants that had supported SROs now include restrictions and that other settlement funds explicitly bar law-enforcement hiring for some programs.
Commissioners pressed on patrol visibility and the potential impact on marginalized residents. Robertson said the plan does not add officers but reallocates available patrol time so cars and officers spend more time visible in neighborhoods; he described outreach meetings with local groups to explain the distinction between local policing and federal immigration enforcement.
Robertson also described emergency-preparedness work with the citizen emergency response team and efforts to compile lists of vulnerable residents to aid evacuations. He said the department is reviewing accreditation options tailored to California agencies and is taking a conservative approach to large recurring technology contracts and grant spending.
The chief is scheduled to present the department's annual report to the City Council on Nov. 4; the commission also agreed by motion to provide a short, consensus oral report to the council summarizing new commissioners, support for the Stacks program and ongoing wellness programs.
The commission requested follow-ups on short-term metrics, vacation/shift coverage and VHR (vacation home rental) enforcement data at a subsequent meeting.
