With a $26 million budget and about 100 officers, there's not much money left for much-needed support personnel to run the department. We're grateful to have a small but talented team of support persons dedicated to serving our community.
Records Personnel
Records Unit
These are the friendly faces, and voices, you encounter at the police department's front desk, and when you telephone the general information line (650/903-6344). Their job is to help you get the information or connections you need from your police department.
Records specialists answer all sorts of questions related to police and community issues. They also manage criminal records, hand out brochures and applications, connect community members with the right employee to handle a specific issue, and provide around-the-clock support to our officers.
Records personnel make Mountain View's entries into local, state and federal law enforcement databases. They also process all warrants, file criminal complaints with the district attorney, pre-book offenders prior to court appearance, and track narcotic and sex registrants.
Communications Unit
MVPD maintains a top notch team of dispatchers to handle our emergency and non-emergency calls, as well as radio dispatch to police, fire and emergency medical services. Our dispatchers are trained to handle everything from broken windows to attempted murder, from stove fires to CPR, and from toxic leaks to delivering babies. Whenever, whatever, your emergency, our 9-1-1 team will get you the support you need.
Community Action & Information (CAI) Unit
The CAI unit is responsible for crime prevention programs, including Neighborhood Watch, Business Watch, security inspections, speakers bureau and the Community Police Academies. CAI also coordinates the volunteer program, alarms and media relations.
The CAI Unit includes a crime analysis team. Crime analysts consolidate data from police reports, plus state and national databases, to determine crime trends and predict future patterns. The team also performs crime research, prepares wanted lists and photo lineups.
Property & Evidence Room
One full-time and one part-time employee service our evidence room, including evidence from crimes as old as 1973 (a homicide). They're responsible for maintaining the meticulous chains-of-evidence, as required by the courts, which document every individual who has had access to each piece of evidence and what has been done to the evidence, such as lab analyses. This effort includes keeping body fluid evidence refrigerated or frozen, as needed to preserve it. Without their precise work, we could not successfully prosecute our criminal cases.
Our evidence room personnel also keep track of non-evidence property, such as found items and confiscated weapons.
Evidence Technicians
Unlike CSI on TV, our evidence is collected by a variety of staffers with other full-time assignments. When they're not supporting the department in their regular jobs, some of our officers and other personnel serve as evidence technicians. They're trained in a variety of basic evidence skills, such as photography, shoe/tire-print casting, fingerprint collection and analysis, and collection/preservation of body fluids. They also learn how to package and store a myriad of odd items (see list at right) that must be preserved for investigation and prosecution.
Professional Standards
The professional standards sergeant handles commendations and awards, complaints and letters of praise, and internal affairs investigations.
Personnel & Training
This two-person team coordinates the recruiting process, which includes testing, oral board interviews, background investigations and medical/psych exams. They also plan and schedule training programs, including legal updates, first aid, firearms, emergency driving, scenario-based tactical training, and cultural diversity.
Other Personnel
Other departmental employees, full- and part-time, perform vehicle and equipment maintenance, computer support, financial services, and administrative duties. We couldn't do anything without them!
In addition, we're grateful for our many unpaid citizen volunteers who augment our staff and programs. |  | Headcount | 96 | Officers | | 8 | Community Services Officers | | 16 | Dispatchers | | 13 | Records Specialists | | 16 | Support Persons | | 149 | Total |
Intensive Training
Our people received over 13,000 hours training in 2005.
Honesty & Integrity
Before receiving a job offer from MVPD, all employees and volunteers, must successfully pass a thorough background investigation.
Items of Evidence
Examples of items in our evidence lockers: - Cheek swabs
- Shoes
- Tax returns
- Tool marks on window frames
- Marijuana
- Orange peels
- Switchblades
- 7-11 Receipts
- Baby blankets
- Suicide notes
- Samples of mixed drinks
- Bullet casings
- Used Q-tips
All have to be preserved for trial or continuing investigation. |
