Reflections of a 30-Year Police Veteran on

The Morro Bay Police Officer's Association

By Richard Hannibal

Morro Bay is a relatively safe community. That’s why we live here. However, it is not the sleepy little village many people perceive. This relative safety is not an accident and comes at a cost. We must maintain a well-selected, well-trained, and well-equipped police department. Our officers come with their own professional dedication and loyalty to the community. That’s free. 

Nationwide, governmental agencies, large and small, are struggling with the economy. Morro Bay is no different. Our very capable city staff and council are doing all they can to balance the budget.

Many folks feel that the government’s main responsibility is public safety. I tend to agree, but admit I do also enjoy paved roads and public parks. Without public safety being addressed, we would quickly realize that we have not evolved very far from the societal jungle. For example, I wouldn’t want to be in the Los Angeles area if, for whatever reason, the California Aqueduct breaks and L.A.’s meager water reserve is exhausted.  

I am concerned when some folks say that Morro Bay is so crime free that we really don’t need a police department. I wonder if they realize how the city has maintained the lowest crime rate in the county. Ride along with a Morro Bay police officer and you will quickly see below the surface and realize the struggle that keeps our citizens and tourists safe. It's a struggle that goes on 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

Highway One is a natural conduit for transients, many of whom are mentally ill, criminals, or sex offenders trying to avoid registration. Below the surface are the 20 to 25 child molesters, rapists, sex registrants, prison released parolees, and persons on criminal probation who live in our city at any given time.

As recent headlines show, we are not immune from murder, bank robbery, and criminal vehicular homicide. Mix all that with the daily arrests and multiple calls-for-service and two pictures begin to form; 1) the Morro Bay you see and 2) the Morro Bay our police officers see. Our officers are the line between the two realities; a line they professionally fight to maintain.  Consider them the city’s insurance policy. 

Presently at the forefront of this struggle are a chief, a commander, four sergeants, one detective supervisor, one detective, four patrol corporals, five patrol officers, and one part-time reserve officer. This is minimal staffing a town the size of Morro Bay for the best of times. There is little or no wiggle-room for vacations, illnesses, or training, etc.  (This is confirmed by a city consultant who produced a comprehensive report. Our staffing is below surrounding and comparable cities.) 

Police officers need vacations, days off, and sick leave. They are mandated by the State of California with time-consuming, on-going standards of training. Often, the Morro Bay Police Department has only two officers working a shift. That means while an officer is taking the one to two hours necessary to process and book a prisoner into the county jail, there is only one officer left to police the city.

This is when the lone officer crosses his/her fingers and prays there will not be a domestic violence in progress, a bank robbery, a homicide, or a traffic collision that he or she has to respond to without backup. Sometimes this lone officer is tied up on a call and there are no officers available to respond.  Sure, the police department could call for help from other police agencies, but those of us with scanners know that when seconds count, outside help is many, many minutes away; some help must come from as far away as Avila Beach or Paso Robles.  It only takes seconds for an officer to be confronted and potentially be harmed. 

In addition to the normal policing of the city, our citizens expect a level of ‘custom’ service that a larger agency will not perform. Who is going to extract the puppy caught between the block wall and the house? Who is going to check on the elderly person whose out-of-town son has not heard from them in two days? Who’s going to have intimate knowledge of our citizens and be aware of which one needs additional attention? Certainly not a larger agency whose officers are not sensitive to the needs of our small community. 

So, when we deal with a city budget, there are many things to consider. Foremost is the ability of our citizens to safely enjoy all our community has to offer.  To maintain public safety, our police department needs at least minimal staffing at all levels.

Our department needs pay and benefits that attract qualified young men and women to our community. It needs community support and appreciation in order to retain these same officers. The department must have these basics to keep the Morro Bay Police Department from becoming a costly training facility where officers move from to other agencies after a year on the job.

These are issues our city leaders must address, but they cannot address them in a vacuum.  It is essential that the citizens of Morro Bay give insights into how they want their beloved city to evolve and remain a safe place to live. 

Our State Constitution clearly states that public safety is government’s first obligation:

CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION ARTICLE XIII SECTION 35, “The people of the State of California find and declare all of the following:  (1) Public safety services are critically important to the security and well being of the State’s citizens and to the growth and vitality of the State’s economic base.  (2) The protection of the public safety is the first responsibility of local government and local officials have an obligation to give priority to the provisions of adequate public safety services.”