Santa Maria Police present multi-year plan at City Council meeting
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The Santa Maria Police are looking ahead to the future.
During Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, the department presented its multi-year plan to reduce crime and improve community relations.
Chief of Police Marc Schneider said this is its first strategic plan. It was a process that started back in May. After it was reviewed by the commanders, police officers and the community, it was presented at the city council meeting.
“We see that the mission of the Santa Maria Police Department is committed to serving our community by enhancing public safety,” said Conor Consulting’s Paul Conor.
The department presented three strategic priorities.
The first one is investing in the officers working for the department.
“The descriptive sentence that we used to describe this priority is empowering and challenging our people by providing opportunities, training, and unwavering support to prepare them for the future,” said Conor.
The second priority is engaging in the community, that includes meeting its needs, connecting with the community and serving the most vulnerable, creating academies for teens and more.
The final priority is protecting the city, which mentions making informed decisions, partnering to keep the city safe, and providing innovative solutions.
“When you have something on paper, and you have dates and action items, it keeps us on task for what we want to accomplish,” said Chief Schnieder. “Like anything, it is flexible.”
City council members had something to say about the plan.
“It tells us where we are going, it tells us what we are going to do when we get there,” said Councilman Mike Cordero. “And what you’re gonna learn while you're there.”
The police department says the plan is going to be posted on its website in about a week. If anyone has questions about it, officers ask to reach out to the department.
