Riverbank council authorizes request for additional community resource deputy

The Riverbank City Council voted 5–0 Tuesday to authorize the city manager to request an additional community resource deputy from the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office, a position staff described as focused on quality-of-life responses and long-term problem solving.

The chief told the council the community resource deputy is trained to respond with alternative resources for crises and to work closely with county behavioral-health and other services. Describing the role’s flexibility, the chief said the deputy often assists with traffic enforcement, in-depth investigations and community outreach and called the position ‘‘the Swiss army knife of a deputy sheriff.’’

Staff warned that obtaining an allocated position can take time: the chief said allocations and hiring often require board-of-supervisors action and that municipalities frequently face a one- to two-year wait for a filled position once a request is submitted. Council members expressed support for advancing the city’s application so Riverbank is in line when the county distributes new allocations.

The motion to authorize the city manager to request the position passed on a 5–0 roll-call vote. Staff said funding decisions tied to filling the position will be addressed when the allocation is confirmed and a hire is proposed.