Civilian aides save police time, money

Routine calls are Gilbert officer David Boyd's bread and butter: noninjury crashes, barking dogs, parking tickets.

They're not the sexiest tasks. But they're the ones he gets.

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And as a former Orange County sheriff's deputy, Boyd admits he's seen more exciting days.

"Police work is usually five hours of sheer boredom followed by 10 seconds of sheer fright," he said. "I just don't get those 10 seconds anymore."

But Boyd knows the value of his job.

He's a civilian patrol officer. It's a position used by police departments across the East Valley, and one that police officials say saves their departments considerable time and money while keeping sworn officers free to actively fight crime.

Also called police aides or community service officers, they don't handle emergencies or investigations. Instead, they work on minor crashes, street closures and parking issues. In some departments, the officers also respond and take reports for crimes that aren't in progress, such as missing person reports, burglaries and auto thefts.

"For us, they do just about everything that doesn't require the gun and badge," Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said. "We use them anytime we can."

Every East Valley police department uses civilian patrol officers except Chandler, which has a volunteer program that performs many of the same duties. The Department of Public Safety also uses civilians to assist stranded motorists. Officials with various agencies report their civilian officers are paid a fraction of what sworn officers earn.

On a ride-along with Boyd last month, the Tribune took a look at the work of a civilian patrol officer.

While some East Valley departments have used them for decades, Gilbert just started in December. Most departments, including Gilbert, provide light blue uniforms that are distinctly different from the darker uniforms worn by the Valley's sworn police officers.

Boyd, who's one of two civilian patrol officers in the town, has worked in law enforcement for more than 15 years. However, knee problems retired him from active duty.

Boyd said some days are busier than others. Some packed with crashes and others filled by patrol.

But after a quick coffee and breakfast burrito, his first call came: a two-car crash near Greenfield and Guadalupe roads.

When Boyd arrived, Gilbert officer Mike Cluff was already filling out a collision report.

Boyd took over, and Cluff took off.

"Really, they're great for us," Cluff said. "During rush hour we get a lot of these, and (having civilian officers) really helps. It's one less thing that ties us up."

Boyd said he handles 10 to 15 crashes a week. Add up the time it takes to clear a scene, get everyone's information and write reports, it's saving other officers up to 30 hours a week.

And that doesn't include court appearances - and costly overtime - if cited drivers wish to dispute violations. Boyd has several court appearances in coming weeks.

The cost factor is one of the greatest appeals for civilian officers, especially since their salaries run cheaper than sworn officers. In most departments, they start around $35,000, compared with nearly $50,000 for a regular cop. Training also costs significantly less, requiring a month of classes and fieldwork, instead of the nearly 20 weeks it takes for a police recruit.

But crashes and reports make up only a portion of a civilian patrol officer's day.

In fact, Boyd spends a majority of his time rolling through neighborhoods, addressing parking concerns and taking care of abandoned vehicles.

But Boyd said he also fills out a fair share of reports. He's not alone.

In Tempe, Assistant Chief Angel Carbajal said this 10 patrol civilians take more reports than all of the sworn patrol officers do combined.

"When you think of it, that's considerable," he said.

Tempe began its program 15 years ago, Carbajal said, and Mesa has also used them for about the same amount of time. Scottsdale, which has 46 civilians on patrol, started its program 30 years ago.

Police officials in several departments said the importance of the civilian officers expands beyond time and money.

Since civilian officers often drive regularly marked cop cars, they provide an increased police presence.

Gilbert police Sgt. Mark Marino said getting officers out in the community is one of the biggest deterrents for crime.

Boyd agreed, "This job gets me out there, and it lets everyone know that police are going to be around. Since I'm saving other officers' time, (those officers) are out more, too."

Civilian officers are also credited with improving the relationship between police and the community they serve.

"I'm not out here trying to bust people or make things difficult for residents," Boyd said. "I'm out here to help the department and be an extra set of eyes and ears."