Community Services Officer

Mission: Fort Bragg is a small town nestled between the coast and the redwoods with a strong sense of community that seeks to preserve its environment while providing resilient public facilities and infrastructure and supporting a safe and vibrant economic, multi-cultural, and recreational experience for both locals and visitors alike.

Vision: Fort Bragg, a California coastal destination with rich natural resources and rugged beauty, is transforming our future by weaving together our people, ecosystems, and economy to create community prosperity. We are making our mark in the 21st Century by creating climate-ready water and energy independence, housing and economic opportunities, accessible health care, community public safety, and education for all.

We are guided by the following Core Values:

Innovation: We highly encourage creativity and forward-thinking solutions to meet the evolving needs of our city.

Honesty & Integrity: We believe in transparent, honest, and ethical interactions with our community and stakeholders.

Service-Oriented: We are responsive to the public and to each other to demonstrate our genuine commitment to creating a Fort Bragg that Serves us today and readies us for a successful tomorrow.

Fair & Ethical: principles and practices, Fort Bragg promotes an inclusive community culture of unity and equality that openly invites everyone to enjoy our unique coastal enclave.

Collaboration: nourishes civic pride and celebrates the diversity of our city and the meaningful municipal services that our residents and businesses rely on.

POSITION SUMMARY

Under the general supervision of the Police Sergeant, the incumbents in this non-sworn, full time and/or part time, public officer classification, transport prisoners from Fort Bragg to appropriate facilities providing for their care, conduct and safety while in custody; provide support functions including data entry, completion of booking procedures and obtaining medical clearance for prisoners in their custody; perform a wide variety of technical tasks associated with the support function of the police department. Applicants must be over the age of 21.

TYPICAL DUTIES & ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Provide information and direction to the public.
• Assist with Front Office support, answering phones, public questions.
• Assist in follow-up activities for case reports, including obtaining bank records, medical records, and other necessary documents as directed by a supervisor.
• Assist with traffic enforcement, by placing and retrieving radar trailer.
• Assist with traffic control and investigations of traffic collisions.
• Enforce parking violations and issue citations.
• Receive, search, book, and fingerprint prisoners, including court and district attorney ordered bookings and warrant arrests.
• Transport prisoners, juveniles, or other individuals to assigned locations as required: County Jail; Juvenile Hall; Hospitals; Mental Health facilities; or other facilities as required.
• Conduct public tours of the police facility.
• Provide support functions as required, including, but not limited to: data entry for prisoners; completion of booking procedures; obtaining medical clearances; completing related duties as required; serving subpoenas; providing assistance to citizens in distress if required during transport, i.e., vehicle accidents or other serious situations.
• Prepare reports on assigned cases such as petty theft, property damage, municipal code violations, lost and found property, late counter traffic accidents/theft reports, abandoned vehicles, missing persons, and other reports as directed by a supervisor.
• Collect and preserve all evidence, property and other related duties, assist officers with documenting evidence, including follow-up on evidence previously sent to the lab, and other related duties.
• Provide animal control services within the City.
• Provide live scan fingerprinting.
• Keep in good physical condition in order to overcome resistive and combative persons by using approved use of force guidelines.
• Coordinate duties of the found bicycle system, including receiving, storage, inventory, advertising and disposal.
• Continually qualify and train in the areas of use of force, firearms qualification, defensive tactics, Taser, crowd control techniques, baton usage, and other required training.
• Keep current on all City of Fort Bragg Police Department Policies and Procedures.
• Provide security at special events and crime scenes, and/or conduct surveillance activity, and security of hospital detainees, as assigned.
• Deliver documents / receive documents at City Hall and other allied agencies.
• Provide abandoned and towed vehicle program releases and other documents associated with impounded and/or seized vehicles.
• Perform tests and inspections of equipment, including portable alcohol sensors, fire extinguishers, and medical supplies.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS;

Sit for long periods at a time in a vehicle during the transportation of prisoners, behind a desk writing reports on computers as required, interviewing and taking statements from suspects, victims, and witnesses as directed by an officer in an emergency, and during special operations for booking arrestees. Walk and stand for long periods during special operations or during surveillance of prisoners prior to or during transportation duties, while having prisoners medically cleared, during parades or other special events, and directing traffic. Normal vision in both eyes for day and night; correctable to 20/20 with glasses or contact lenses; vision cannot be tunnel or have any obstruction which would not allow for operating a motor vehicle or observation of other activities while patrolling a given area of responsibility; must be able to have good peripheral vision while patrolling and also be able to read penal and other codes and complete citations or other fine print; must be able to read license plates or observe other activity at a distance; must have normal color vision and be able to distinguish solid colors for descriptive information on vehicles, persons, clothing and other information as required. Must have use of both hands and fingers for dexterity in order to complete the following tasks as required: type, write or print, turn pages in books and citations; turn caps, lids on containers, door knobs and other items to make entry; answer radio communications via radio microphone and depress buttons on shotguns and safety mechanisms on firearms; react to combative suspects by pulling, grabbing, struggling, fighting, holding, handcuffing, spraying, and other physically demanding hands-on training or work related activities. Must be able to make precise arm-hand positioning movements and maintain static arm-hand position. Must have good hearing abilities in order to hear suspects, victims, sirens, audio radios, firearms, and other police related activities which would place the officer in danger of life if not able to hear those sounds; must be able to communicate by hearing a portable radio or hear a listening device. Must be able to work with and around animals, while conducting animal control duties. Must be able to have normal smelling abilities in order to distinguish odors such as chemicals used in the manufacturing of narcotics; marijuana smoke and smell for identification of drug use; alcohol use and distinction within vehicle; smoke from fires or other related safety-oriented functions within transportation duties. Must be able to communicate verbally with victims, witnesses, suspects, and other persons contacted during a duty period. Must take verbal taped statements. Must have command presence when directing people during an emergency. Must be able to verbally warn others including officers of immediate or impending danger.

Frequent walking, running, crawling, twisting, bending, grabbing, fighting, wrestling, struggling, climbing, sitting, standing, walking on uneven and slippery surfaces, carrying an 80 pound object or dragging a 150 pound object for 80 feet; occasional squatting for hiding, kneeling, laying in a prone position, jumping; must be flexible, have static-explosive-dynamic-trunk strength in order to overcome combative suspects, good coordination and equilibrium; arm and hand steadiness for shooting firearms and doing articulate evidentiary collection; good hand dexterity and coordination for computer and other related duties; good vision both far and near as well as color; good hearing; good physical conditioning for stamina, mobility and effort utilized in transportation duties.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Employee must:

• Be sufficiently adaptable to accept and perform in a timely and effective manner work assignments that are outside the normal day-to-day routine.
• Maintain courteous, professional and effective working relationships with other City employees and members of the public.

• Work effectively with the public.
• Operate a police vehicle in a safe and prudent manner.
• Read, learn, interpret and utilize departmental rules and regulations, policies and procedures.
• Read, understand, learn, and know how to research laws through the California Legal Resource book and other sources.
• Prepare reports in accordance with required departmental standards.
• Carry out oral and written orders and directions.
• Operate computer terminals and laptops.
• Exercise prudence and caution in the transportation of prisoners while maintaining safety and security routines.
• Function effectively under stress and evaluate situations for potential danger and take appropriate action.
• Think and act quickly and accurately during emergency situations.
• Operate police radio equipment; including standard broadcasting procedures.
• Learn general office, record keeping, and filing methods and systems.
• Provide first aid in a medical emergency.
• Successfully qualify in weapons training.
• Have good recall ability in order to remember names, faces, numbers, incidents, places and other related law enforcement tasks and case laws.
• Meet physical demands and standards as required by a Community Service Officer.

• Must possess a valid class C or higher California driver’s license and have a current good driving record of at least two years duration according to the Department of Motor Vehicles negligent operator guidelines.
• Must be eligible as an insurable risk as determined by the City’s insurance carrier, California Intergovernmental Rick Authority, CIRA.
• Must pass a background investigation, fingerprint clearance, medical examination and may be required to pass a psychological evaluation as determined by Peace Officers Standards and Training guidelines.
• Must be able to successfully pass a Fort Bragg Police Department training program for transportation officers, including completion of CPR and First Aid training within departmental time frames after appointment.
• Must have a telephone and be available to respond to the Police Department within a reasonable time of receiving notification.
• Must be able to obtain a valid Peace Officer Standards and Training certificate for 832 P.C. within six months of appointment.