Monterey’s Police Chief reassigning the department’s park officer to patrol officer.
Police Chief John Mackie said the former chief placed an officer in the parks less than a year ago. Mackie said during that times seven calls were logged and most were assisting other agencies or casual encounters.
“The call volumes that we’re having at these parks was not enough to have an officer there all the time,” Mackie said. “So, what I did is brought that officer here to put on the road as a full-time patrolman and we can still patrol the parks through patrolling when we are out in the city.”
Mackie said the department is also down two officers. Mackie said he felt the park officer would better serve the citizens as a patrolman.
“So, I try to have a full staff of eleven of us,” Mackie said. “There is so much traffic getting off the interstate at any given time. And the call volumes go up more around the interstate as well.”
Mackie said when he will keep an eye on the calls that are just for the park.
“I told the board that we would relook at the call volume later on,”Mackie said. “And if the call volume has come up, that we would relook at hiring another park ranger.”
