Simi to Add 5 Officers, Set Up Police Fund-Raising Foundation

Intent on beefing up the city’s police force, City Council members have approved adding five officers and a dog to the force and have created a new way for the Police Department to raise cash.

The council voted late Monday to hire a sergeant and four officers whose primary job will be keeping gangs out of Simi Valley. Council members also granted a Police Department request to buy a German shepherd named Cero, trained in sniffing out drugs.

What’s more, they set up a fund-raising foundation that will allow residents to donate money to the department, beyond what they give up in taxes.

The steps encountered little resistance among council members, who pride themselves on the city’s low-crime, police-friendly reputation.

“If I can add five more officers to that department, I’ll do it every time,” said Councilwoman Barbara Williamson.

Although the decision to hire extra officers comes at a steep price--about $484,300 annually--federal and state grants will offset some of the initial cost. Police Chief Randy Adams told the council that the city is eligible for about $415,100 in grant money for the current fiscal year.

Federal grants to help pay the officers’ salaries will taper off during a three-year period, with the city eventually having to pay the full cost. The state grants, however, may continue, Adams said.

The new officers will form a new Problem Oriented Policing detail within the department to take over most gang-suppression activities. The new hires will also work directly with the city’s four neighborhood councils to hear residents’ tips, suggestions and concerns.

“What that does is give them direct input into the Police Department,” said Councilman Paul Miller, a former Simi Valley police chief.

The council also approved a plan to create the Simi Valley Police Foundation, a nonprofit fund-raising organization that will funnel money into police programs. Miller and Williamson will sit on the group’s board of directors, along with Adams, City Manager Mike Sedell and a representative from the neighborhood councils.

After the group receives tax-exempt status from the government, its board may be expanded to include 11 members.

Miller suggested the idea as a way to take donations from the public. Simi Valley civic groups already contribute money to such police efforts as anti-drug education programs.

One community group may also help fund another of the steps taken Monday: The purchase of another police dog. The council voted to buy a 17-month old German shepherd trained to help officers search and arrest suspects. The three dogs already on the force assisted in 448 arrests during 1995.

The dog will cost $8,000. The department also plans to buy a new vehicle and equipment for the dog and his handler, bringing the total cost up to $44,350.

Some of that expense may be borne by donations from the Friends of the Police Canines of Simi Valley, a community group dedicated to the police dog program. The group’s annual Pars for Paws golf tournament in June brought in $11,000 for the program, and Adams said that more fund-raising efforts by the group will reduce the city’s expense in paying for the new dog.