The Grover Beach Police Department recently released its Strategic Plan for the years 2023 through 2026.
“I’m just really excited for the department now that we have a plan forward and I’m excited for the officers and our community,” said Commander Jim Munro, Grover Beach Police Department.
The plan serves as a guiding document for the department and includes four main goals that center around health and wellness within the department, expanded community engagement, responding to community concerns, and developing a police department facility master plan.
"To have that plan for our officers and our community to see where we’re going and see somewhat of a light at the end of the tunnel, it’s going to be great,” Commander Munro said.
The plan not only outlines goals but also includes strategies, an action plan, and metrics used to make the program successful.
“So we wanted to make it real easy and simple for not just the community but also for our officers to understand. When it’s a one-page plan, it makes it very simple,” Munro said.
"We wanted to make sure that what we put in the plan was very attainable, that we could actually accomplish it,” said Chief John Peters, Grover Beach Police Department.
Some of the metrics for measuring the success of the Strategic Plan include updating their department training plan by the end of the year, implementing a volunteer program by 2025, looking into a partnership to add an in-field mental health professional to the South County by May of 2025, and identifying current facility needs as well as completing a master plan by the end of this year.
“We found that during this process, the community wanted to see us more involved in not only with youth and with the schools but also at different city events that were hosted annually,” Chief Peters said.
Though there is a staffing shortage, the Strategic Plan states the department does not have a retention problem; however, “the majority of current vacancies are a result of retirements, long term injury, and newly approved positions.”
Employees aim to make the Grover Beach Police Department the best place it can be.
“It was something that we did not have in the past and we felt for going forward into our future was progress from becoming a good to great agency that we need a strategic plan," Chief Peters said.
The plan will go into effect in July of this year. View a full version of the Grover Beach Police Department Strategic Plan here.
