The tacoma police department (TPD) is experiencing historic staffing shortages: as of the fall of 2022, the TPD was experiencing over 40 vacancies of its 364 budgeted commissioned staff

This Project Grant award from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (CFDA 16.753 - Congressionally Recommended Awards) will provide $963,000 to the City of Tacoma, Washington to establish a Community Service Officer (CSO) program. The program is designed to supplement the services provided by the Tacoma Police Department (TPD) by having civilian CSOs respond to a variety of low-risk calls for service. This will divert approximately 9.4% of calls from TPD, allowing officers to increase proactive patrol time from 36% to 43%. The CSO program aims to improve response times, enhance community safety and feelings of security, and strengthen relationships between the community and law enforcement, especially as the TPD is experiencing significant staffing shortages. The grant will fund the CSO program from September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2026.

At the same time, the city has seen an increase in reported crime, including violent crime. The residents in tacoma are impacted by the staffing shortages, both in terms of public safety and in how safe they feel in their community. In an effort to identify strategies to address these issues, the city completed the 2021 report on the alternative response study. The study was designed to provide recommendations for alternative responses to incidents involving mental health crisis, homelessness-related issues, and certain types of calls for service traditionally handled by police officers that could be handled by civilian responders. This grant would fund a program recommended in the alternative response study that is designed to supplement the services provided by TPD commissioned officers, while also improving outcomes and community trust. The program will provide for community service officers (CSO) who are civilian employees with a special commission that allows them to engage in certain limited law enforcement functions. The csos will respond to a variety of low/no risk calls which TPD is currently not able to prioritize due to call volume. This program will divert approximately 9.4% of calls for TPD service to the csos and will increase patrol proactive time from 36% to approximately 43%. The community service officer program will help the city improve response to calls which will improve community safety, increase the feelings of security with community members, and improve relationships between the community and law enforcement. IT is especially important as the city is working to fully staff commissioned positions while meeting increased workload demands