Faced with a persistent shortage of police officers, Bellingham City Council on Monday voted to add four full-time positions to the Police Department. The new community service officers (CSOs) won’t add to the ranks of commissioned officers with badges and guns, but city officials hope they will improve the department’s public service while freeing up uniformed officers to patrol the streets.
“CSOs perform duties that frequently require significant contact with the public,” Deputy Chief Don Almer said last week in an interview.
The new hires can perform community outreach, take reports from people who call the police for non-emergencies, and assist detectives with their investigations.
“It’s going to be a wonderful entry point for folks that are contemplating becoming an officer” or those who want to work for the police without becoming a full-fledged officer, Almer said. Some current officers who are about to retire are also considering the job, Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig told the City Council on Monday.
The department still has 12 openings for 122 commissioned positions, Almer said — although the department is down 31 officers total, including medical and military leaves, and new officers still in training. Bellingham Police has hired nine officers this year, including the new chief.
City Council members did not need to approve any funding for the community service officers because they had budgeted for more police personnel than the city currently has. The salary for the new positions had not been finalized as of Aug. 26, Almer said.
