I am posting an email message I got detailing CSO duties.
Greetings!
As a Tucson PD CSO, I not only do point control but also do the traffic
accident investigations (unless it involves serious injury, death, or DUI). If
there is a violation of civil (not criminal) traffic laws, I issue the citation
myself; if there is a criminal violation I prepare the citation and call for an
officer to serve it. I investigate burglaries, larcenies, and frauds when
there is no suspect. I take reports on stolen and embezzled motor vehicles, and
also do the GTA recoveries when a vehicle is dumped and unoccupied. I do
latent prints and photographs for my own scenes, and also assist other officers
with these at their calls. I do lost and found property calls, found bikes,
etc.

We also do the enforcement of Tucson City Codes regarding parking violations,
peddler ordinances, city sign code (handbills, banners, etc.), junk motor
vehicles and abandoned vehicles, etc.

We don't do animal calls or lockouts. If an animal is being abused by being
left in a vehicle in Tucson's 100+ degree summers, we "can" bust a window with
our ASP baton upon the direction of a sergeant. Barking dogs, etc., are left
to officers as people get pretty hot about being woke up by the police over
Rover's big mouth... We do respond to dead animals in the roadway, just
gloving up and tossing them to the curb for pickup by Animal Control.

We also do callback reports over the phone, and assist in searches for lost
children and endangered adults (Alzheimer's patients and so on). Our
department doesn't look for first time runaways over the age of 14, or frequent
runaways over 10.

Some of us (like me) have prior life experiences that help us to "push the
envelope" of what we do. I am a retired US Air Force master sergeant, and I
used to build H-bombs for our Uncle Sam. So I am a little bit ahead of most when
it comes to firearms, explosives, and HAZMAT training. At times I have
volunteered to take calls not normally given to CSOs such as death notifications,
recovery of found guns (which requires special handling not only to safe the
weapon, but also because it could be evidence in a criminal investigation) and
drugs (I am NarcoPouch testing certified), and once I even recovered some
military explosives a guy dug up in his back yard while putting in a well!

We use the exact same vehicles as our commissioned officers do, and we can
use the overheads and air horn as needed. Although we can't use the siren for
continued runs, I've used it when pushing a stalled car across an intersection,
or to clear a traffic jam at an accident scene during final approach. We
cannot go "Code-3" to a scene, or "bust a red." We do use the vehicle pushbars
as needed for stalled vehicles and to clear the roadway at accident scenes.
Although our vehicles are equipped for prisoner transport (hard bench and
screen), we only do this with a commissioned officer riding shotgun such as a bike
officer or walking beat cop who keeps herd on the prisoner while we chauffeur
them.

TPD CSOs are equipped with a distinctive uniform - our light blue shirts
contrast sharply with the LAPD dark blues our officers wear. We have shoulder
patches but not a shield. We have a duty belt with 21 inch ASP baton, Punch IV
Mace, Motorola handheld radio, and pager. We are not authorized to have a
firearm on duty; we have some CSOs who are retired officers, and some who have CCW
permits - but even they have to leave the hardware at home when on the job.
Liability issues... We have the option to accept at no cost to us an issued
Second Chance, ZeroG, or PACA body armor Level IIA vest, if we turn it down
then the city is absolved of liability if we get drilled.

We start out at $12.50 an hour, and we are eligible for annual merit pay
increases (but for the last 3 years they've been frozen due to budget deficits).
We can theoretically max out after about 10 years at $23 an hour. We also get
paid a minimum of two hours overtime (time and a half) whenever called to
testify on our off-duty days. I do a LOT of overtime court, testifying on my
traffic accident, parking and junk motor vehicle cites.

We are required by Arizona state law to complete a 428 hour course of
training developed by AZ Peace Officer Standardized Training (AZ POST) which includes
driving techniques; defensive CQB (close quarters battle) techniques to
include blocks, palm heel strikes, open hand strikes, baton use, pressure points,
and chemical mace; investigative techniques for specific crimes; and general
investigative procedures such as use of field cameras and latent fingerprinting.
Hope this gives you the information you were searching for. If you have any
questions, I will be more than glad to assist. Be careful, and stay safe!
CSO Mike Huber, Tucson PD

Nice post, helpfull because I have my oral boards and essay test on the 19th of Jan.

So ACO doesn't handle the barking complaints, cruelty complaints up there? Here, animal control (currently, me) handles all of that. We do all local and state animal enforcement up to felony cruelty.
Pay stinks though. Believe it or not, CSO makes more, and better benefits also. Plus its moving up the latter, so to speak, in the law enforcement world.

Nice site, needs more visiters!

Mike

Hi!

I am currently a post commander and I met a guy who told me I would be a good community service officer. I read what you wrote and it sounds interesting.Do you know if they have something similiar in los angeles area. I keep doing a search using community service officer los angeles and nothing comes up. I mean like where/how to apply. I have a question. What are the typical hours?
Are they flexible? Weekends? Mornings? Afternoons?
If you have any suggestions I would appreciate it.
Thanx,
Liz