On Monday, the Antioch Police Department welcomed 3 new officers along with a community service officer and a new crime analyst. The department now sits with 112 officers.
Antioch Police Chief Tammany Brooks said Monday that the department continues to work to become a fully staffed department of 115 officers and have so far in 2019 processed nearly 1100 applications.
3 police officers, a new Community Service Officer (CSO), and a new Crime Analyst introduced Monday. Photo by Antioch Police Dept.
The effort to grow to 115 officers comes after Antioch voters approved Measure W and the council earlier this year approved its 2-year budget to hire 3-additional officers.
Even with the approval, hiring police officers has been a challenge for a variety of reasons.
“The biggest challenge has always been finding the right candidate for our agency,” said Brooks. “I’m looking for service-minded applicants with empathy, compassion, and above average communication skills who possess the highest level of integrity and character. But they need to have a desire to work in a fast-paced, challenging environment like Antioch. It’s not for everyone. So as much as I need to ensure applicants are the right fit for the Antioch Police Department, I’m careful to ask them to search their heart and make sure Antioch Police is the right fit for them.”
According to Brooks, more officers has allowed the department to add bodies to its traffic bureau to increase traffic enforcement. That bureau has doubled in size from 2-officers to 4-officers.
Brooks highlighted that the benefits of hiring additional officers doesn’t happen over night because they do have several officers out with injuries, but currently have officers in field training program and will soon hit the streets in a solo officer capacity.
He also added they have been able to cut down on forced overtime needed to meet minimum staffing levels for patrol while saying he is seeing a decrease in response times for calls for service.
With a larger traffic unit, the police department believes it will make the entire community safer by making the roadways safer.
“Whether it’s complacency, habit, a result of a hectic lifestyle, or in some cases a complete disregard for others, the roads are becoming more dangerous,” says Brooks. “We are seeing an increase in people driving more aggressively and/or driving while distracted. And despite public service announcements, this behavior continues to be problematic. Constant and visible traffic enforcement changes behavior. Not just with the violators who get pulled over, but by others who pass by and see the traffic stop as well. When people know the rules of the road are being more strictly enforced, they are more likely to drive safely and defensively. “
With the addition of a crime analyst position, it will allow them to better use data by collecting it in a more timely and proactive way explained Brooks.
“The goal is to organize and analyze this data in such a way that it creates intelligence for our officers in the field to help guide and focus their efforts to prevent crimes from occurring, and identify those people who are likely to commit or become victimized by crime,” said Brooks.
Still, even with the hiring, the police department will have fewer officers than what they would like as they once had been authorized for 127 officers in 2010. The goal is to continue to increase as much as the budget will allow.
Brooks called the current increase of staffing “extremely positive” but not optimal for the size of Antioch but sees the impact his officers are making.
“Even with this shortage, we are making solid improvements due to the great work being done by the professional and committed members of the Antioch Police Department,” says Brooks. “We have made huge strides since having only 78 officers. Our violent crime has decreased over 30%, our property crime has decreased over 20%, and our response time to Priority 1 calls for service has decreased by over 20%. I am continually impressed by the men and women of this organization and am proud to serve this community at their side.”
By May of 2020, Brooks says he anticipates reaching the 115-officer goal as they have one trainee attending the police academy with a graduation. With laterals and entry level trainees, Brooks says they will reach the 115-number next year.
