Calexico hires additional officers.
CALEXICO — Recent hiring at the Calexico Police Department has allowed it to bolster its ranks of officers and public safety dispatchers, reversing reduced staffing levels that had generated concerns from department and city officials, as well as the general public. Three officers have been hired in the past few months, with a fourth hire pending financial approval. Also, positions for two public safety dispatchers have been approved and are in the hiring process, said Chief Reggie Gomez.
Additional hiring is also a possibility once the city determines its projected level of revenue and expenditures for the coming fiscal year.
“I anticipate approval for more hiring of police officers and dispatchers,” Gomez said.
The department’s newest four sworn officers all have strong ties to the Valley, and have served as law enforcement personnel in varying capacities prior to joining the Calexico Police Department, Gomez said.
Two of the officers had previously volunteered as reserve officers, while a third is a lateral hire, meaning the officer had been employed with another police department at the time of his application to join the Calexico force. “Each one comes with a bit of experience,” Gomez said. “They have that range.”
Currently, many of the new hires are undergoing required training and can be found performing a variety of tasks within the department and in the field, prior to transitioning over to their regular responsibilities.
The excitement and appreciation the new hires have shown to Gomez for the opportunity to serve in Calexico has also been telling, the chief said, noting the reaction he got from Officer Francisco Soberanes when he was given the official offer to join the force.
“I have never seen a bigger smile in my life,” Gomez said. “For a second I thought he was going to chest bump me.”
The pending addition of two public safety dispatchers also comes as a welcome development for the department.
The boost in the department’s personnel also reduces the repeated need to have modified the schedules of both officers and dispatchers to ensure proper coverage of their respective shifts.
In some instances, requests for time off had to be denied in order to maintain proper staffing levels during shifts, Gomez said.
“It was unfortunate,” he said. “Once they come on it will offer (co-workers) some time to get away from work and power down.”
Newly-hired Officer Jorge Hernandez brings an extensive career in law enforcement in both the public and private sphere to the Calexico department.
His prior experience and specialized skills dealing with crimes against children such as child abuse and sexual abuse should come as a welcome asset to the department.
“I know I’ll be able to augment the expertise that they already have,” Hernandez said.
Shortly after graduating high school, the El Centro native deployed with the National Guard to Los Angeles in 1992 to help quell the rioting following the acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department officers on trial in connection to the beating of motorist Rodney King.
It was during that deployment that Hernandez said he first thought of pursuing a career in law enforcement.
Since then, Hernandez has been employed with the El Centro and Imperial police departments, as well as Union Pacific Railroad.
Although the transition from the public sector to the private sector came with an increased salary, Hernandez said he did not experience the same level of reward that came with serving the public.
“I really missed that and that’s why I came back,” he said.
That community service streak runs in his family, Hernandez said, noting that his father and older and younger brothers also pursued law enforcement careers in Mexicali and with federal and local law enforcement agencies, respectively.
Hernandez said he has felt welcome in Calexico since his arrival and is appreciative of his colleagues’ professionalism.
“The mission is to serve the public and I think they’re accomplishing that very well,” he said.
Hernandez also acknowledged that the current backlash facing law enforcement personnel is not without precedent, and is similar to the atmosphere that had existed in the late 1970s and early ‘80s.
In spite of the current circumstances, Hernandez said a law enforcement career can be very rewarding, so long as prospective recruits stay true to their motivation.
“If you want to make money, get a tech job in Silicon Valley,” he said. “But if you want to help your community, it’s the best way to do it.”