Community Service Officers
On a daily basis, CSOs are on patrol throughout the City handling an array of calls that vary from abandoned vehicles to felonies. On several occasions, CSOs have been responsible for investigations which have lead to the arrest and conviction of suspects, in both misdemeanor and felony cases. They are knowledgeable in the Farmington City Codes, New Mexico State Statutes, and common police procedures in order to perform their jobs and complete investigations. They are required to maintain a high level of physical and mental awareness, much the same as the certified officers.
The CSOs complete eight to twelve weeks of training in numerous areas. They are required to be knowledgeable in officer safety and defensive tactics, emergency vehicle driving techniques, traffic control, traffic crash reports, dispatch procedures, jail procedures, crime scene investigation, first aid, report writing, computer usage and courtroom testimony.
They also assist in numerous community-oriented functions, such as Cops 'N Lobsters, the Freedom Days activities, and the Christmas parade. Also, all first graders in the Farmington school district participate in the safety awareness training held at the Safety City complex. The students were educated in the areas of the use of 911, together with fire, water and traffic safety issues.