California Police Chief- Fall 2013 CPCA_2018_Winter Magazine-FINAL | Page 30

We quickly recruited and filled
vacant professional staff positions and
added one more. All of those admin-
istrative responsibilities were trans-
ferred from sworn to civilian. Now
our officers can focus on their primary
job responsibilities in patrol and inves-
tigations and utilize their advanced
training and education applicably to
best serve our community members
and really do what they enjoy.
As far as my team, we are proudly
parking nerds, animal lovers, problem
solvers, obsessed about details, social
media scientists, IT gurus, proper-
ty people, we can find a needle in a
haystack, and are passionate about
serving people. Whether it’s our
co-workers or our community mem-
bers, we are willing to go the extra
mile. We are educated, hard-working,
subject matter experts that can have a
30
California Police Chief | www.californiapolicechiefs.org
tremendous impact on your organiza-
tion. And they always want to learn
something new to further assist their
sworn counterparts; most recently for
us it is sending two of our employees
to crime scene investigation school.
I encourage you to think outside
of the box when finding solutions to
recruiting and staffing difficulties.
One of those solutions can be utilizing
professional staff, from entry level to
managers; we come equipped with
different skill sets that can benefit
the department. With that consider
developing a career ladder, encour-
aging training and mentoring, en-
gagement in professional associations
and determining what tasks are best
suited to the skill sets of professional
staff. Although Pacific Grove is small,
we have entry level, supervisor and
manager civilian opportunities. This
allows us to groom the next generation
and make sure staff is fully supported
at every level. This career ladder is
important and something, I believe,
agencies can improve upon.
In my career, I have been fortunate
in having managers who support me
through different career and training
opportunities, acknowledge my differ-
ent skill sets, and trust my judgement.
My goal is to do the same. I hope this
article encourages departments to con-
sider the use of civilian staff in roles
they might not have thought of before,
including expanded opportunities at
different ranks. ■
1 The Sacramento Bee, “See what California police and
firefighters earn in each community.” By Phillip Reese.
October 30, 2018.