Community Service Officer

The Certificate of Achievement-Advanced for Community Service Officer (CSO) provides the foundational skills required to successfully gain non-sworn employment in this expanding field within local law enforcement agencies. CSOs assist police officers and perform public safety services to communities. The certificate curriculum provides students with a comprehensive overview of the U.S. and State criminal justice systems, criminal law, community-police relations, report writing, criminal investigation, victim/witness interviewing techniques, evidence collection, and digital photography. CSO positions interact with all segments of society in a wide variety public safety situations while performing, under general supervision, numerous field and office non-enforcement support assignments. The following are the Program Learning Objectives for the Certificate of Achievement-Advanced program.

• Identify the responsibilities of each component of the criminal justice system as they relate to laws, investigations, and rules of evidence.
• Obtain the knowledge to investigate crimes, traffic accidents, and other public safety hazards.
• Develop the skills to complete factual and concise investigations and investigative reports.
• Obtain the knowledge and capabilities to establish positive interactions and develop partnerships between law enforcement and the community.

As the employment category of community service officer is relatively new, labor market information from the California EDD and similar sources is not readily available. Positions for CSOs are categorized together with those for police officers and other related roles. In the absence of labor market data, De Anza College's Administration of Justice Department conducted their own survey of local law enforcement agencies to determine their current and projected need for community service officers. This survey, which was administered at the Santa Clara County Police Chief's Association meeting in June 2018, revealed that there were approximately 115 community service officers employed at different agencies throughout the county. With the improvement in the financial status of local governments funding for law enforcement agencies has improved and they are hiring. In tandem, it is anticipated that agencies will increase their hiring of community service officers due to the lower personnel costs and dedication to community policing. CSOs are in a unique position to interact closely with communities and establish partnerships that sworn police officers often do not have the time to accomplish.  

Projected number of annual completers, 5-10 per academic year.

De Anza College's proposed Community Service Officer Certificate of Achievement-Advanced program was developed under the advisement of South Bay law enforcement agencies to create alternate career pathways apart from those of sworn duty officers. Community service officers (CSOs) are non-sworn law enforcement professionals trained to provide a wide range of non-hazardous policing functions; including property crime investigation and reporting, responding to non-injury accidents, directing traffic, and fielding public calls for information and assistance. The student communities that would benefit from this certificate are non-traditional and historically underrepresented student groups such as veterans, women, returning adult learners, economically disadvantaged, and limited English proficient students and individuals with disabilities. The De Anza College Mission Statement unequivocally states that the college will design classes to meet the needs of the diverse student community that we serve. Community Service Officer (CSO) positions are expanding in Bay Area law enforcement agencies and are vital to providing public safety service to communities. The Certificate of Achievement-Advanced program will further enhance and knowledge and skills attained through participation in the required CSO Training Academy. Community Service Officer (CSO) positions are expanding in Bay Area law enforcement agencies and are vital to providing public safety service to communities.

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
ADMJ 1	Introduction to Administration of Justice	4	Y1
ADMJ 3	Concepts of Criminal Law	4	Y1
ADMJ 5	Community Relations	4	Y1
ADMJ 56	Practical Writing for Administration of Justice	4	Y1
ADMJ 61	Criminal Investigation	4	Y2

ADMJ 74a	Interviewing, Interrogation and Crisis Intervention	4	Y2
Select 1 elective
ADMJ 90a	Legal Aspects of Evidence	4	Y2
PHTG 4	Introduction to Digital Photography	3	Y2

The Certificate of Achievement-Advanced Community Service Officer (CSO) program will further enhance the knowledge and skills attained through participation in the required CSO Training Academy. Many local law enforcement agencies have indicated their preference of candidates who complete the more extensive education provided via the CSO Certificate of Achievement-Advanced program, with the opportunity to advance to higher levels of pay and responsibility. The CSO function is a relatively recent inclusion to the law enforcement field. The classification was created to relieve sworn law enforcement officers from routine community policing duties, thereby increasing their availability to respond to emergency and hazardous enforcement duties and engage in proactive policing. De Anza College's proposed Community Service Officer Certificate of Achievement-Advanced program was developed under the advisement of South Bay law enforcement agencies to create alternate career pathways apart from those of sworn duty officers.

No

At present, no other college or university has a certificate program for community service officer employment preparation. Aside from the community service officer training academy programs cited above, the programs offered at Bay Area community colleges and universities are geared toward traditional law enforcement and criminal justice occupations.