Dana Point Community Services Unit

The City of Dana Point has always strived to provide first-rate police services to our community.  Going beyond our highly effective patrol deputy force, several years ago the City established a Community Service Unit (CSU) that provides more in-depth resources to solve issues unique to Dana Point. Different communities have different problems, and that’s why the CSU strives to provide our community with responsive, caring, professional law enforcement services, in addition to maintaining a safe environment for the community to live, work, and play. 

What does the CSU do?

The most commonly seen officers on the streets of Dana Point are our patrol officers. They are the face of any 911 emergency call.   If it’s discovered that the call yields something indicating a greater community problem, the CSU is assigned to work hand in hand with investigators to help stop emerging crime trends. CSU deputies are often still available to help with patrol calls and provide general law enforcement activities as needed.

Community-specific violations of law and issues that need more focused attention are handled by the CSU who can dedicate more expertise to overall crimes and investigations. The CSU specializes in bringing all interested parties together to work toward the resolution of any problem, concern, or crime occurring within our community. One example is homelessness.

The CSU has worked alongside Mercy House, the City’s contracted homeless outreach team to approach homeless individuals and families who need assistance getting off of the street.  In tandem with that effort, the CSU can also identify if there are trends among that population that are making them increasing vulnerable or address repeated violations of law. 

In addition to that targeted effort, the CSU concentrates on suspected drug houses/dealers, warrant service, probation searches, surveillance operations, etc.  CSU also works all city-sponsored events which require a law enforcement presence.

Districts

The City of Dana Point Police Services has divided the City into three distinct districts. Each district is assigned a deputy to assist the community with concerns. Deputies assigned to the districts are Chris Eiben, Justin Smallwood and Dan Merz.  They cover three individual areas of town but work as a unit to be most effective.  They report to Sergeant, Jonathan Daruvala, and work in partnership with Crime Prevention Specialist, Jill Jackson, and Investigator, KC Calder.

Feedback from the community helps in achieving a comfortable and secure environment. If you have questions or concerns about our services or activity in your neighborhood, we want to hear from you. To find your district, please use the map link below.

http://www.danapoint.org/department/public-safety/police-services/volunteers-in-police-services-vips