HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4c. GENERAL SAN LUIS OBISPO POLICE DEPARTMENT UPDATES Item 4c
Human Relations Commission
Agenda Report
For Agenda of: 6/4/2025
Item Number: 4c
FROM: Samantha Vethavanam, DEI Administrative Specialist
Phone Number: (805) 781-7064
E-mail: svethava@slocity.org
SUBJECT: SAN LUIS OBISPO POLICE DEPARTMENT UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION
Receive and file the update from the San Luis Obispo Police Department.
BACKGROUND
In 2023, the San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLO PD) began work on their 5-Year
Strategic Plan, which was subsequently finalized and disseminated in early 2024. The
Strategic Plan will guide the direction and work effort of the SLO PD for the next five
years, from 2024 to 2029. The strategic planning process included broad community
engagement that allowed the strategic planning team to best align SLO PD’s goals with
the community's needs and expectations.
The Strategic Plan includes six goals or “pillars” that were identified as key priorities
during the planning process, including:
1) Service to the Community
2) Community Engagement
3) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
4) Recruitment and Retention
5) Health and Wellness
6) Improve Infrastructure, Equipment, and Technology
Within each goal, objectives were also developed to guide the work effort over the next
five years and beyond. The plan also contains individual “Action Items” which support the
work plans for each objective.
Furthermore, each summer, the police department provides an update to City Council on
their SLO PD Annual Report for the previous year. Last year, Chief Rick Scott provided
the update on August 20, 2024, for the 2023 Annual Report. This year, Chief Scott will be
presenting again to City Council sometime in late summer, depending on Council’s
agenda schedule.
The Annual Report provides an overview of the past operational year, covering several
Item 4c
key areas integral to the department’s operations and future planning such as
organizational structure, finances, community engagement, officer wellness, department
statistics, technology, recruitment and retention, the Community Action Team, and
neighborhood wellness.
The 2024 presentation highlighted the department’s accomplishments including the
substantial decrease in all crimes, its crime prevention efforts moving forward, and the
development of the Five-Year Strategic Plan. Included in that report was also information
on the Community Service Officer (CSO) program, which is a modern approach to least
harm policing, placing highly qualified and trained non-sworn officers throughout the city.
The CSO team focuses on low-level and nuisance type activities such as drinking,
littering, and noise violations. CSOs also provide traffic control when needed, provide
security and other assistance at crime scenes, assist with custody and release of
property, and issue citations for non-moving traffic violations, as well as enforce other
violations of the Municipal Code.
The (new) CSO team continues to thrive, expanding from four officers to six in 2023 and
issuing a total of 110 citations and making a total of 391 arrests that would have
consumed limited police patrol resources.
Additionally, the department currently tracks and responds to hate crime/incident data
and reports this information annually to City Council. SLO PD has also historically, and
will continue to, provide this data on a quarterly basis to the Office of DEI.
Data is received via the City’s website – in late 2022, the police department further
assisted the community by including a section on their website informing the public of the
process to report a hate crime/incident. The website includes an online form for reporting
as well as a flowchart in both Spanish and English (see image below) on what to do if
someone believes that they witnessed or experienced a hate crime/incident. The City’s
Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) continue supported efforts and included a
section on its website linking to SLO_PD’s page and providing additional resources for
individuals who witness or experience a hate crime/incident.