Im trying to come up with topics for my departments CSO committee meetings to discus/concider. We will have over 40 CSOs by the end of the year and I am trying to push for CSO I and CSO II positions, and give CSOs other duties...

I am curious what CSOs around the country do, wear and carry.

Do you have CSO I and II positions? do they wear different uniforms? or is there anything to visually distinguish a CSO I from a CSO II?

What do you carry for defense?
i.e. OC Spray etc. batons?

Can you carry handcuffs as back ups for officers?

Do any CSOs (NOT transport officers, or jailers) CSOs ONLY! Do prinsoner transports? M crimes, not felonies from the field or holding cell to the local city or county jail/hospital? And if so, what addtl. training did you recieve?

ANY input helps!

Thanks!!!

In Downers Grove, IL, (a western Chicago suburb) we have 6 CSO's total, 3 CSO I's and 3 CSO II's, (compared to 82 sworn patrol officers). The CSO I's and CSO II's uniforms are identical, (light blue shirts and black pants with identical patches to sworn and no identifying rocker panels).

The CSO I's are strictly Parking Enforcement. The CSO II's are Line Support, meaning they take vandalism calls, abandoned auto's, theft reports, walk-in crash reports, etc.

Both CSO I's and II's are offered ballistic vests, ASP, O.C. spray and handcuffs.

Absolutely no prisoner transports at all.

Where do you work that you have 40 CSO's!?!?

CSO's throughout our department are assigned to one of many support functions including patrol, property/evidence, criminal investigations, animal control, patrol services, community services, administration, traffic services, etc. Initial training really depends on the first area of assignment and whether the CSO moves out of that position to another later on.

We wear light blue polo's or class B's (Flying Cross w/ badge) with dark navy pants. Standard police patch on all uniform items. No rank insignia.

As with any place, you only carry what you have been trained to use. For example, CSO's assigned to patrol (desk duty, callback reports, traffic accident investigation, abandoned/illegally parked vehicles, low priority/no suspect info reports, inactive burglaries, thefts, shopliftings/beerruns, ID thefts, fraud, etc etc) or prisoner transportation (respond to scenes, process, book, fingerprint, complete mugshot, search, transport to local jail or county facility --in addition to normal duties) carry expandable baton, OC spray 4oz, 2 handcuffs, radio, Tazer x26, flashlight/tac light, dept issued cellphone... Some carry more or less than what I just described.

In addition all uniformed employees are offered ballistic vests.

We only have one CSO..me. I am required to wear a ballistic vest and carry OC, radio, and phone. No cuffs or tazer. I take cold calls (no suspects) and enforce city ordinances as well as state parking regulations. I am not supposed to be around bad guys or back up patrol so, according to the Chief, shouldn't need additional equipment. What is supposed to happen and what does are sometimes two different things. I wear a grey shirt and dark blu pants. We do not have more than one level CSO although I would like to see that so I won't hit the top of my pay scale in a couple years. Keizer CSO's don't handle crashes or transport although I would like to get that approved as a duty for another level. Today there was talk of making me a truck inspector.

L. Halladey, Keizer OR. Police