SACRAMENTO, Calif — The Sacramento Police Department did something they hadn't done in more than a decade, and it is now showing results when it comes to improving response times.
ABC10 was there last April as the department held a graduation for new Community Service Officers (CSO's) for the first time in 15 years
"It's a big deal," said Sacramento Police 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."
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The department says the program has allowed officers to get to you faster. A new report shows response times have decreased by about 20 or 25 minutes for community calls. The CSO program is indeed working. It's giving mostly college students a chance to earn money and get experience in the law enforcement field while improving response times in the community.
"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."
These Community Service Officers are not sworn officers, but they are there to assist the department.
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