Santa Maria Police Department Communications Center

The Santa Maria Police Department Communication Center provides dispatch services for the Police and Fire departments. The Communications Center is staffed with 21 people who provide 24/7 dispatch services to the residents of Santa Maria and Guadalupe. The unit is supervised by a Sergeant and four Senior Dispatchers who oversee 16 dispatchers and one call taker. Dispatchers are responsible for answering and prioritizing incoming 9-1-1 calls, non-emergency calls and administrative calls. Dispatchers also detail appropriate emergency personnel to various calls for service thought the cities of Santa Maria and Guadalupe.

Utilizing state-of-the-art technologies, the Santa Maria Police Department Communications Center handles over 170,000 incoming calls for service every year (about 465 per day). There are 63,000 emergency 9-1-1 calls per year (about 172 per day). Currently the Communications Center utilizes Emergency Call Works (ECW) as our 9-1-1 phone system, which provides valuable information related to incoming 911 calls and the location of origin. The Communications Center also acquired new Motorola MCC7500 dispatching consoles, which enhance the radio communications by utilizing its 700 Mhz trunked radio system. The department intends to roll out its new CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) and RMS (Records Management System) systems later this year and will support enhanced features like Text to 911 technology.

Patrol

The patrol component functions as the backbone of the police services delivery system, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The deployment of the police officers who comprise this unit is based on crime and calls for service patterns in a particular neighborhood or other geographic area, the days and times of the week calls for service occur, as well as quality of life issues in our community. Intentional emphasis is placed on the collaborative development of long-term solutions to recurring incidents of neighborhood conflict. Concurrently, the patrol component prides itself on the ability to provide swift and decisive police response to incidents of crime and public disorder.

Patrol is the largest and most visible component of the Police Department. The men and women assigned to this function strive to proactively deter crime before it occurs and to react quickly and effectively when a crime has taken place. Officers are empowered to work in partnership with residents, the business community and other interested groups to develop solutions to chronic problems, crime and fear of crime. The emphasis is on eradicating the causes of crime, not on treating the symptoms.

Traffic Unit

The Traffic Unit has the responsibility of reducing the loss of life, injury and property damage caused by traffic collisions. As part of their duties, personnel assigned to this unit analyze collision data focusing on location, time and causal factors. Using this information, traffic personnel attempt to reduce the number and severity of our City's traffic collisions through public education, vehicle checkpoints, coordinating efforts with the City’s traffic engineers, and through selective enforcement of those violations linked to collisions by location and cause.

Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Program

The DARE program was implemented in Santa Maria in 1993 and has graduated 20,000 students. The intent of the program is to create a special connection of trust between the children and a uniformed officer. The fully-funded DARE curriculum consisted of interactive, role-playing and cooperative learning activities, taught by one DARE-certified officer to all sixth-grade public school students at seven school campuses. Because of budget reductions, the City lacks sufficient resources to fully fund this program, however, a scaled-down program is provided.

Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)

The Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team was established in 1986 to provide a response capability for high-risk situations requiring the use of special weapons and tactics. The team's primary goal is the preservation of life when faced with unusually hazardous situations.

Such situations include barricaded suspects, hostage rescue, high-risk search warrants, terrorist activity, active shooter, dignitary protection, and similar events.

Candidates for the team undergo a rigorous physical agility test and an extensive interview process to test their decision-making skills. The team trains a minimum of 16 hours a month to maintain readiness to respond in the event of an emergency. Membership on the team is voluntary and requires a willingness to be on call seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The department also has a Crisis Negotiations Team (CNT), which will respond to all barricade suspects or hostage incidents when the SWAT team is requested.

School Resource Officers

The School Resource Officer (SRO) Program serves the student population in Santa Maria’s public school districts. The Police Department has one SRO assigned to each of Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s (SMJUHSD) two public high schools. These two SROs are allocated full-time to their respective high schools and provide security and safety for the campus throughout the day. Four SROs splits time between the middle and elementary schools of the Santa Maria Bonita Joint Union School District.

SROs are assigned to schools on a long-term basis to provide enhanced services. The SROs also handle police service calls on and around school campuses, relieving patrol services. In addition, SROs, assist school administrators in helping maintain a safe campus environment that is conducive to learning. SROs provide a visible presence to deter or identify trespassers on campus. School officials rely on the SRO’s training, knowledge, and experience in handling situations involving weapons violations or identifying controlled, dangerous substances. 

SROs enforce criminal violations when necessary and appropriate. SROs use arrest/citation as a last resort. School officials handle most behavioral/disciplinary matters at the school level. SROs may be consulted and provide input on discipline matters, but the schools decide on the discipline. 

By providing ongoing positive contact between officers and students, the SRO program seeks to bridge the gap between police officers and Santa Maria youth. In addition, the collaboration between schools and the police brings together resources for students not available when the two entities work separately. 

What else are SROs responsible for? 

• Handling calls for service on and near school campuses 
• Conducting criminal investigations that occur on campus. Often, students report crimes to SROs that occurred off school grounds (e.g., child abuse, domestic violence, thefts, threats, vandalism, drug and alcohol offenses, etc.) SROs routinely handle all aspects of the investigation, including interviews, evidence collection, follow-up, arrest of the suspect(s), report preparation, court testimony, and victim counseling. 
• Documenting crime and incident reports 
• Participating/assisting with student and parent counseling 
• Assisting with coordinating and facilitating safety lockdown drills 
• Ensuring that all students, staff, and campuses are safe. 
• Serving as a liaison between schools and the Police Department. 
• Deterring students from joining gangs or making choices that lead to problems with drugs or alcohol. 
• Ensuring that the educational process is not affected by outside disturbances. Examples are when crimes such as homicides, assaults, robberies, or gang activity occur in neighborhoods surrounding schools; SROs work with other police units and school administrators to remedy these issues to limit student exposure. 
• Working with school officials to ensure that their school safety plans are in place and suit the school’s needs. This includes lockdown drills, evacuation procedures, and natural disaster planning.  Participating in the School Attendance and Review Board (SARB) process. This includes participating in hearings and working with families to solve truancy issues. 
• Providing presentations to parents, students, and teachers on various topics, including bullying, cyberbullying, active shooter lockdown drills, and drugs/alcohol.