During a tour of their station, University Police said on Thursday they’re looking into recruiting more patrol officers and a lieutenant, and toward impounding less vehicles on campus.
The tour was part of the police’s community outreach efforts, Captain Fernando Solorzano said. Earlier in the day, Stan Skipworth, chief of the University Police, greeted Cal State Long Beach students at the west turn from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Corporal Antonio Maciel led the tour of the station. It was then he said that the department was looking into hiring more patrol officers.
The standard staffing of officers during shifts is one sergeant, one corporal and two patrol officers. As of now the department has one sergeant, one corporal and only one patrol officer on duty during shifts.
However, patrol officers are supplemented by the department’s “Green Team,” which consists of two officers patrolling the campus via bicycles and the department’s t-3 vehicle, Solorzano said. There are also around eight other officers – detectives, administrators and other department staff – usually on duty Monday through Friday during business hours that can assist if needed.
Maciel also said that the department is trying to hire a lieutenant. It’s to fill a position left vacant by Skipworth when he was promoted from captain to chief earlier this year.
It was later said that the department was moving toward immobilizing vehicles rather than impounding them. In clarification of comments made during the tour, Solorzano said University Police are looking to immobilizing the vehicles of owners who have five or more unpaid parking tickets.
As a result, vehicle owners will be able to pay their ticket and have the immobilization device taken off after showing University Police their receipt.
Vehicles involved in other crimes, like using a vehicle in a crime or driving one under the influence, will still be impounded.
Maciel also showed people the department’s armory, which consisted of a closet housing a rack for 12-gauge shotguns and AR-15’s, an assault rifle. He also showed off the department’s taser weapon, which can shoot a person from 25-feet away and immobilizes them for 5-seconds.
“Sometimes we’re better equipped than city agencies,” Maciel said.