1 month ago
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Lemon Grove recently added two new sheriff’s deputies whose sole duties will be community-oriented policing, thanks to a recent voter-approved tax hike.
Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Barry said their hiring “couldn’t have come at a better time.”
Lemon Grove residents approved the 1-cent sales tax last year, a proposal that was pitched to voters as an opportunity to fund infrastructure repairs and increase public safety.
Of the $5.9 million generated by the tax increase during the last fiscal year, $557,000 was put toward spearheading Lemon Grove’s first Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) program.
“We’ve been the only Sheriff’s station department that didn’t have a specialized (COPPS) team,” Barry said. “Now we have one. It’s in the pilot phases, but Measure T gave us the ability to give it a try. So far, so good.”
Two COPPS-focused deputies were hired at the Sheriff’s Office substation in Lemon Grove in October. Their station is now home to 13 deputies, including the recent hires.
In contrast to regular deputies, Barry said their sole responsibility is to patrol the neighborhoods and do “completely proactive police work,” such as investigating theft and helping with homeless outreach. They are not responsible for responding to radio calls, unlike regular deputies.
The addition has been transformative for day-to-day operations, he said, by easing the workload for the other deputies while creating bandwidth for preven...
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