PLACENTIA : Police to Get More Clout in Drug Fight
In an attempt to curb crime on the south side of the city, the City Council has allocated $80,330 to hire two additional police officers and acquire equipment for an anti-narcotics enforcement team.
The money will allow the Police Department to increase its crackdown on drug traffickers and other criminals, said Police Chief Harold A. Fischer.
“Two officers experienced in undercover narcotics detail will be pulled from present duty, with the money covering the salaries of two new officers,” City Administrator Robert D’Amato said.
The city is planning to advertise for the new officers, specifying that bilingual Spanish-speaking officers are preferred.
Councilwoman Maria Moreno had requested that one of the officers be bilingual and expressed concern that the city had done little to actively recruit Spanish-speaking officers at a time when crime and the Latino population are growing in southern Placentia.
“They’re just not out there,” D’Amato responded, explaining that the competition for bilingual officers among police departments is intense. “It’s too limiting to just specify bilingual officers, especially when every other department is also looking for them.”
“Bilingual officers serve the whole community as well as the Spanish-speaking,” Moreno said.
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