The Sacramento Police Department just did something they haven't done in more than a decade, and it's all in an attempt to better serve the community in spite of being understaffed.
ABC10 was there as the department held a graduation for new Community Service Officers.
"It's a big deal," Sgt. Vance Chandler. "We now have 10 community service officers that will be able to serve our community and free up our officers for important priority calls. Those community service officers will take cold reports such as burglary, stolen vehicles, and missing person investigations. Any time we can free up our officers to serve our community it's a great thing."
It is a diverse group of men and women. A few of the new CSOs speak Spanish.
"We are taking young people 18 to 22 years old and giving them an opportunity to be a part of this organization for the next 30 years of their life," said Corporal Deanna Viscuso. "They come from the neighborhoods that we serve in this community."
Rayna Fambrini graduated at the top of her class.
"Everyone here wants to be officers," said Fambrini. "And we really want to improve the community of Sacramento and we're all so passionate about the job."
This is the first CSO graduation in 15 years. SAC PD is reinvesting in Community Service Officers to help with staffing.
"And for us to say that we can't do this because we are understaffed or we can't do another task because we are understaffed that's not a valid excuse or a reason," said Sgt. Chandler. "We need to come up with innovative ideas and ways of providing the best service for our community."
These Community Service Officers are not sworn officers. They are there to assist the department. We're told the next sign-up opportunity will be in July.