The California Police Department will soon expand its services to the community with a new program.
The new business watch program set to begin Dec. 1 is called Project Night Eyes. More imformation is covered in another article in this issue.
This new program is only one way which the City of California Police Department serves the community 24/7 with a full-time staff of six officers, five reserve officers and a police clerk. The department is assisted in serving the public by the 911 Emergency Dispatch Center.
The department has seven fully equipped pursuit vehicles dispatched by radio.
The California Police Department works out of a facility designated "Police Department" by letters on the east side of the California City Hall. The police reception, staffed by the police clerk, is reached through a separate entrance on the south side of the building or via a connecting door from the west or main entrance of the City Hall.
The department includes separate offices for the police chief and assistant police chief as well as five cubicles for the full-time and reserve officers and a break room. There is also a separate booking area, two interview rooms, an evidence room and a modern holding cell.
There are two garages which can be used to secure impounded vehicles or maintain police vehicles during inclement weather. There is also a sally port between the garage and holding cell to bring additional security during a prisoner transfer.
In addition to Police Chief Mike Ward, Assistant Police Chief Kenny Marshall and Clerk Kathy Roll, full-time personnel are: Sgt. Dale Embry and officers Kevin Feltrop, Scott Harkins and Aaron Nichols. Reserve officers are: Bob Walters, John McNay, Rex Martensen, Nick Mettenburg and Lindell Reed.
The officers are certified with POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training). POST certification is done by the Missouri Department of Public Safety.
All of this from a department which started with one night police officer who started July 13, 1950, with a desk for the police officer in the California City Hall, and one basic two-door sedan police car.