Last week, the Menlo Park police co-hosted the sixth Annual CSO Symposium with Santa Clara Police Department in the Menlo Park City Council Chambers. The event was attended by approximately 128 CSOs from roughly 50 California law enforcement agencies. Community Services Officers fulfill an important role in law enforcement agencies. They are typically non-sworn police personnel who fill various roles, including crime prevention, traffic collision reports, traffic control, crime scene investigations and community outreach. Training is important for CSOs to continue to grow in their careers and stay up with current trends. CSOs free up sworn police officers so that they can focus on responding to emergency calls, critical incidents, patrol and traffic enforcement. 

This year's training workshop boasted top instructors in the California region specializing in areas of:

• civilian legal updates
• ethics in law enforcement agencies
• stress management and self-care
• bicycle theft trends
• traffic safety
• crime scene investigation and reconstruction
• financial crimes