-Police Department-
(626) 939-8557
Emergency Only 9-1-1
24-Hour Crime Hotline - (626) 939-8688
http://www.wcpd.org

Frank Wills
Police Chief

Department Budget Information
MISSION STATEMENT:
The mission of the West Covina Police Department is to provide the highest level of service and protection to the community, to cooperatively enhance public safety and the quality of life as we progress into the future.

Incorporated in 1936, the West Covina Police Department has a proud history of service to the community. Historically, the Department expanded and modernized from a small and traditional police force to a larger, community-based organization. The Department is the largest division within the City, employing 158 sworn and civilian personnel. In addition, there are 77 part-time positions including Reserve Officers, Crossing Guards and clerical staff. The Department also utilizes volunteer programs, which are a very important part of the overall public safety effort. In addition, the effort is supplemented by over 40 Explorer Scouts and over a dozen volunteer Emergency Radio Operators.

The Department is engaged in many community partnerships with schools, businesses and citizen organizations. Before "Community Policing" became a dominant paradigm in law enforcement, the West Covina Police Department conducted successful community-oriented programs, including a sign-language child safety program and an educational program in elementary school. The Department obtained several competitive grants from the Federal Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to expand its community policing efforts, and was recently praised for its excellence in community policing by the Claremont-based Tomas Rivera Policy Institute.



The men and women of the West Covina Police Department strive to provide the highest level of service and protection for the community. To that end, the Department is divided into three major divisions:

PATROL: Patrol operations include the patrolling of City streets, answering calls for service and identifying potential crime problems. The Patrol operations also include traffic enforcement; the Special Enforcement Detail (S.E.D.), comprised of officers who work flexible schedules and focus on major crime and gang related situations; a tactical response S.W.A.T. unit (a specialized enforcement unit to handle high-risk situations); Reserve Officers; and the training bureau, which schedules training for all personnel.

INVESTIGATIVE: This division is responsible for the follow-up investigation of major crimes and also houses the Crime Analysis Unit. Crime Analysis gathers information from crime reports and investigators, organizes the data into useable tools such as crime patterns, trends for patrol operations and improved crime investigations, all of which are used to aid in crime reduction methods and ideas.

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT: This division encompasses jail operations, the Property and Evidence Unit and employee relations. The jail processes over 700 arrests per month. All property or evidence connected to these incidents, or a crime in general, is held by our Property and Evidence Unit until the case is resolved or disposed of by court order. In addition, the Administrative Division Commander is in charge of the innovative Computer Services Group, which currently serves 28 agencies throughout the United States by automating their records and dispatch systems.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS:

Community Education Center:
The Community Education Center (CEC) is the Department's off-site service and education facility. The CEC is located inside the local mall, and is where many of the educational programs listed below are conducted. The crime prevention activities of the Department are arranged through the command staff at the CEC. The CEC acts as a service center where residents can come in and get information or ask questions about police programs, etc.

Seniors Helping Our Police (SHOP):
This volunteer program encourages active senior citizens to work in the Police Department doing jobs and performing functions which were previously assigned to paid personnel. SHOP volunteers enforce parking laws, deliver paperwork, handle clerical duties, conduct vacation house checks and perform other tasks that serve to free up sworn personnel to focus on their own duties. SHOP volunteers have donated over 65,000 hours, at a value of $1.3 million, since the program's inception in 1993.

Driving and Shooting Simulator:
West Covina Police Officers complete training utilizing a state-of-the-art simulator facility which combines driving and shooting simulators to form a flowing training experience, smoothly transitioning from a pursuit to a use of force situation, while maintaining the feel of a realistic field situation. This is the only simulator that combines these two training functions, and the only one to be certified by POST (Police Officer Standardized Training). This facility has drawn over 1,800 students from across the nation for training. Trainees included staff from 21 other law enforcement agencies and the business community.

The Citizens' Academy:
First conducted in 1994, the Citizens' Academy is now a 16-week course organized by the Police Department (one night a week). The course is offered free of charge to local residents. Taught by Police, Court and other City personnel, the Academy is now in its 10th session. It covers Public Safety and City Government Services and provides a broad understanding of Local Government functions. Participants get to meet and question City officials, engage in Police Ride-Alongs, Simulator Training sessions, and site visits to Police, Fire, City Government and Court facilities.

Media Relations Unit and "On the Beat" Cable TV Program:
The Department's Public Information Officer serves as the contact point for the media and also is in charge of the "On the Beat" Cable TV show. This monthly program provides information about the Department, current crime problems, how to protect yourself from becoming a crime victim and City events.

Crime Free Multi-Housing Program:
The Crime Free Multi-Housing Program is a highly successful crime prevention and training program that targets apartment complexes. The program is credited with major drops in calls for service and criminal complaints. West Covina's success in dealing with apartment complex crimes has drawn over a dozen law enforcement agencies to the City for programmatic training.

Safe Streets NOW:
The Safe Streets NOW program is a process by which the Department works with residents to facilitate small claim actions against identified nuisances, drug and gang houses.

West Covina Service Group:
This Computer Enterprise provides crime data management, software and network support services to 28 law enforcement agencies and 4 City governments.

School Resource Officers:
The West Covina Police Department utilizes two School Resource Officers (SROs), who are stationed on-campus at local schools, in order to focus on juvenile crime prevention, education and outreach, and law enforcement at the school sites.

Truancy Abatement Prevention Program:
The Truancy Abatement Prevention Program (TAPP) is a partnership between Los Angeles County Probation Department, the West Covina Police Department and several local school districts. This program allows for probation officers to conduct truancy sweeps, which are coordinated with the schools and police.

Stranger Danger and Safetytown:
Stranger Danger is a safety program targeted at kids from pre-school to 4th grade, which demonstrates what kids should do when approached by strangers. Safetytown is a physical mock-up of city streets that teaches children how to be safe near traffic.

Leadership Academy:
The Leadership Academy is an 8-week summer course for junior-high school students, conducted at the Community Education Center. West Covina Police officers and local judges teach this program, which includes interactive exercises and site visits. It focuses on instilling leadership skills and an understanding of the criminal justice system.

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