Melisa Stilley has more than 17 years of law enforcement experience as a sworn police and civilian officer.
Stilley will now get to share that experience and knowledge as the Plant City Police Department’s citywide Community Service Officer (CSO).
A CSO is a non-sworn officer of the police department and is designated to handle calls for service that do not require a sworn police officer.
Stilley officially began working as a CSO for the PCPD on January 29. CSOs address long-term community concerns. They can be dispatched to a scene to relieve an officer who can then respond to higher-priority calls. They also work to build relationships of trust with residents, speak to neighborhood groups, take part in business and civic events, consult with social agencies, and take part in educational outreach with students.
During her workday Tuesday, Stilley and PCPD Public Information Officer, Captain Alfred Van Duyne, took time to discuss her new role with the department in the newly established position as CSO for the entire city.
Stilley said she was ready to get out into the Plant City communities to establish a rapport with residents and get to know their needs and expectations from the PCPD.
“I know it’s a brand-new position for Plant City. Knowing what an asset a CSO can be makes it really geared to building a relationship with the community,” she said.
In her role, Stilley will be working with and assisting a police department with 78 sworn officers. Van Duyne said the PCPD is looking to add another CSO to have day-to-day CSO split coverage for both officer shift rotations.
“The goal is to expand the unit and grow the (CSO) program. It’s about establishing community relationships and fostering those relationships,” he said. “Her role as CSO is important as she will be responsible to augment patrol officers with duties that will alleviate tasks for the officers so they can respond to other high-priority calls.”
Among her duties as CSO, Stilley’s duties may include investigating private parking lot crashes, filing lost-found property reports, filing missing persons reports, investigating disabled and/or abandoned vehicles, going to loose animal calls, doing car Vehicle Identification Number verifications, assisting with crime scene processing and evidence collection and helping with traffic direction-control throughout the city.
Stilley has a business administration degree from Odessa College, Odessa, Texas; studied criminal justice at the University of Texas, Arlington, and Columbia Southern University, Orange Beach, Alabama; and completed police academy training at the North Central Council of Governments, Arlington, Texas.
Prior to Planty City, Stilley was sworn in as a police officer in Dallas-Fort Worth and was a civilian officer in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Collier County, Florida. She said she’s “excited” for residents and visitors to Plant City to get the chance to experience the CSO side of policing.
“It’s absolutely exciting; I’m excited for Plant City to experience this side of policing,” she said.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 9,000 Community Service Officers – also known as CSOs – in the United States.