Lompoc Police want to dismantle The Lompoc Public Safety Commission

The Lompoc Public Safety Commission is being threatened to be dismantled. This has some in the community concerned they may no longer have an organized body to be the voice of the community.

Lompoc has been faced with ongoing issues like crime, homelessness, and public health hazards. The community continues to cry out with concerns over the homeless epidemic post the Riverbed mandatory evacuation.

Needles from drug users have been found throughout the city hurting children and making the environment unsafe for residents. These are the kinds of issues that the Lompoc Public Safety Commission addresses.

The Commission’s purpose is to be a voice for the community and be a liaison between the community, and the Police and Fire Department. However, Lompoc Police think the organization is not practical anymore and is an outdated way to hear from the community.

“I disagree with him, I believe that the sole purpose of the public safety commission is to be the bridge between our community and our city council, ” said Lompoc Public Safety Commissioner, Maria Aguiniga.

Aguiniga feels that without the Commission the communities voice will be lost as well as a doing away with an organized body that can help translate the needs of the community to police and vice versa. She says the Commission’s job is to appeal to City Council on the communities behalf to evoke change when needed.

Lompoc Police see it differently.

“The Commission has outlived its efficacy, and that is why it’s been a subject of conversation even from the Commission themselves,” said Lompoc Commanding Officer Joe Mariani. “As I mentioned before when it was instituted twenty years ago, it was a different time; technology wasn’t what it is today.”

Captain Mariani said the Lompoc Police department mobile app and social media are the best ways for the community to communicate their needs. They feel there is no longer a need for the Commission to find out community needs.

Aguiniga believes a human to human communication and having feet on the ground in the community is the only way to get the concerns of the community heard really.

The Lompoc Police are not the ones who have the authority to dismantle the Commission. To do so, the City Council will have to make the final decision.