The Community Services Division can best be described as a concentrated effort to connect with the community and enhance the department by making use of "new" concepts, technology and resources. The division consists of the following functions:

• Accreditation
• Crime Prevention Unit
• Policy Development
• Public Relations (Public Information Officer)
• Volunteer Services
• Recruiting

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the Community Services Division, you can contact the Division Supervisor, Captain Dustin Taylor at 719-553-2544.

 Public Relations / Public Information Officer (PIO)

This position is responsible for the dissemination of information to all media outlets and the public in numerous forms to include: direct contact, electronic mail, police department web page, Facebook and Twitter.

The PIO Protocol is as follows:

• The PIO is the primary point of contact Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. If the PIO is unavailable during his regular duty hours (e.g., vacation), the greeting on his voice mail will reflect such and direct the caller to the appropriate resource.
• The Watch Commander is the primary point of contact at all other times. To reach the Watch Commander, call 719-553-2502 and ask to be connected to the Watch Commander.
• If the PIO responds to a major incident outside of his regular duty hours, he will become the primary point of contact during his activation. The Watch Commander will advise callers to contact the PIO if the PIO is activated. At the conclusion of any major incident where the PIO was activated, protocol will revert back to regular duty hours protocol and media will again need to contact the Watch Commander.
• Please be advised that the PIO is often very busy. If you attempt to call the PIO during his regular duty hours (or during a major incident with a PIO activation) and he does not immediately answer, please leave a voice mail or a text and await a return call or message.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding public relations or social media you can contact the PIO, Sergeant Frank Ortega at 719-553-2411 (office) or 719-568-8937 (cell).

 Crime Prevention Unit

The Crime Prevention unit is responsible for the following: assisting neighborhoods in establishing Neighborhood Watch, assisting Neighborhood Watch groups in placing Neighborhood Watch signs in their respective areas, providing information to assist citizens in burglar-proofing their homes, providing safety tips for citizen's well-being, and talking to businesses and groups about ways to make their neighborhoods, businesses and homes safer.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the Crime Prevention Unit you can contact the Crime Prevention Officer , Roger Schneider at 719-553-3359.

 Volunteer Program

The Volunteer Program, or Volunteers Assisting Pueblo Police (VAPP), is yet another way the Department is connecting with the community. The Community Services Division is responsible for the following: identifying interested individuals for the program, conducting thorough background investigations, placing approved volunteers in assignments, maintaining a large list of volunteer assignments, maintaining volunteer schedules, and supervising volunteers.

Should you have any questions or are interested in becoming a volunteer, you can contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Stuart Bastin at 719-553-2586.

 Policy Development

The Department's policy manual, as provided by Lexipol LLC, became effective on January 1, 2013 and is updated regularly as Law and Best Practices change. Lexipol is a risk management company that provides participating agencies with updated polices based on current statutes, case law and best practices.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding policy development, you can contact the Division Supervisor, Captain Taylor at 719-553-2544.

 Accreditation

The Community Services Division is responsible for the maintenance of the Department’s accredited status by the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police (state accreditation) and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (national accreditation).

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the Pueblo Police Department’s accreditation efforts, you can contact the Accreditation Manager, Corporal Katherine LaConte at (719) 553-3276.