Castro Community On Patrol (CCOP) is formed around the internationally recognized Community/Citizens On Patrol Service (COPS) model. All CCOP Patrollers are unpaid volunteers who serve as additional “eyes and ears” for law enforcement. In this volunteer role we enjoy a very close working relationship with city government, law enforcement, community groups, businesses and residents within the Castro and Duboce Triangle area in which we patrol.
Our goal is to promote and enhance the security and safety of the Castro and Duboce Triangle neighborhood through volunteer patrols, educational outreach, support of local efforts and through a close liaison with our law enforcement partners.
Our mission is to create a safer neighborhood for those who live in, work in, or visit the neighborhood. CCOP volunteers patrol the neighborhood and create a visible safety presence. Patrol volunteers note and report violent and property crimes, as well as conditions conducive to that kind of crime, and also educate the public about safety issues in the community.
CCOP Patrollers enjoying a moment with Santa and his helper Elf
In 2017 we provided at least 891 hours of community service, and since we began recording such figures in 2011 we have provided at least 8,619 hours of service in total to the Castro and Duboce Triangle Communities.
At the close of 2017 we had 19 ACTIVE Patrol volunteers and 14 INACTIVE (i.e. they have not patrolled in two months or more.) Thus we have a total of 33 Patrollers on our books, but in reality only 19 are regularly patrolling. We would love to increase our number of active Patrollers to at least 100, as we could do so much more for the community if we had more active volunteers. If you’d like to help out, sign up for our next volunteer training class on Saturday January 20th using the SIGN UP NOW link.
We were able to deploy a total of 54 regular and special event patrols throughout 2017 which were staffed by a total of 128 Patrollers. Many of our Patrollers volunteer for one 3 hour patrol each month, the minimum we request of all volunteers. A few however consistently provide more than the minimum and warrant our thanks and a “mention in dispatches” as follows:
- Ptlr. Dan Cooney with 15 patrols
- Ptlr. Neil Fullagar with 15 patrols
- Ptlr. Nicole Macias with 15 patrols
- Ptlr. Stephanie Ong with 15 patrols
- Ptlr. Alexander Upchurch with 19 patrols
Our Chiefs of Patrol all regularly contribute much more than the standard expected 12 patrols per year.
We supported a total of 31 special event patrols in support of the community at large including:
- FREE Community Self-Defense classes at STRUT
- “March of the Peaceful Penguins” protest by the students of Harvey Milk Academy
- Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence “Easter In The Park”
- Harvey Milk Day Observations
- Gilbert Baker Memorial
- Pulse Nightclub Memorial
- Safety monitoring for the rally and march against the Whitehouse Transgender ban
- Castro Street Fair
- Patrol Special Police Officer John Fitzinger Memorial
- “Santa Skivvies Run” fundraiser
- AIDS Emergency Fund Holiday Dinner event
Throughout 2017 we supported other groups and agencies, by attending and supporting the following community efforts on a regular basis:
- International Police Association
- Federal Bureau of Investigation Citizens Academy Alumni
- State of California Disaster Corps
- San Francisco District Attorney’s LGBT Focus Group
- San Francisco Police Department LGBT Community Advisory Forum
- San Francisco Police Department Auxiliary Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT)
- San Francisco Police Department Mission Station Captains Monthly meetings
- San Francisco Fire Department Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT)
- Castro Business Watch (CBW)
- Castro Merchants
- Castro Cares
- Upper Market Alliance meetings
Thank you for your support in 2017. We look forward to continuing to work on behalf of the community in 2018 and beyond.