City of Milpitas Police Department
Community Relations

McGruff the Crime Dog:

The Milpitas Police Department recently acquired a new canine this year and he is not your run of the mill canine.  His name is McGruff the Crime Dog, the icon of the National Crime Prevention Council and a member of more than 4,000 police departments across the nation. Read the Press Release (PDF).

Police And Community Educational Seminars ( P.A.C.E.S.): The P.A.C.E.S. program (commonly known as Citizen's Academy) offers Milpitas citizens an opportunity to examine the inner working of our police department. This one night a week (for six weeks) course details areas such as Community Oriented Policing, use of force and the use of deadly force, arrest and control procedures, gangs, high risk vehicle stops, arrest warrant process, police canine, police S.W.A.T. team, crime prevention, and other areas of interest.

Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.): The D.A.R.E. program is a cooperative effort between the Milpitas Unified School District the City of Milpitas and the Milpitas Police Department to bring an anti-drug and anti-violence message to the young people in our community. A uniformed police officer presents the formal 17-week, 5th grade curriculum at nine public and three private schools within the community. Topics include role-playing on how to say no to drug offers, building self-esteem, consequences and how to avoid gang involvement.

Community Fingerprinting:
The Police Department offers adult fingerprinting to Milpitas residents and to those who work in Milpitas. This service is conducted by unpaid Police Volunteers, Police Explorers and Records employees. Hours of operations are every Monday between 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM and Wednesday between 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. City Employees and Volunteers hours are Tuesday between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM.

Neighborhood Watch: This program has been proven effective in deterring crime in neighborhoods. Learn how you can protect yourself and your property ... and get to know your neighbors ... by organizing a program in your neighborhood. A police officer will provide information on what is suspicious activity ... when to dial 9-1-1, and what happens when you do ... how to safeguard your valuables and 'harden' your house against residential burglary ... how to establish a block map and phone tree ... and many other crime prevention tips. Visit the Milpitas Police Department's Neighborhood Watch's web page.

The Milpitas Police Activity League (PAL): PAL is a program offering healthy, safe activities to the youth of our community as an alternative to street crime, drugs and violence. Currently, three well established sporting activities are in the PAL program; Milpitas PAL Soccer and Milpitas PAL Knights Football and Jr. Giant’s Baseball. For more information, contact the PAL Executive Director, at (408) 586-2527.

Police Explorers: The Milpitas Police Explorer Unit is designed to provide young men and women between the ages of 16 and 21 the opportunity to 'explore' law enforcement as a possible career choice. This unit is supervised by a Police Officer and is affiliated with the Explorer Division of the Boy Scouts of America.

Ride Along Program: An opportunity for Milpitas citizens to 'ride-along' with a uniformed police officer during his or her shift.

Senior Volunteer Program
The Milpitas Police Department Senior Volunteers are adults, 50 years of age and older, who have an interest in helping their community improve the quality of life for all citizens of Milpitas. Trained volunteers will be utilized to enhance vital police programs and increase community awareness. Volunteers will not be taking any enforcement action, carry weapons, or make arrests. They will act as additional "eyes and ears" for the Milpitas Police Department. Our volunteers assist the Milpitas Police Department in a variety of functions. Click here for more information (PDF)

Milpitas Police Senior Volunteers are celebrating their 5th anniversary.
Read the Press Release.

Senior Alert
In an effort to provide the citizens of Milpitas with the most efficient and effective police service possible, the men and women of the Milpitas Police Department continue to seek out innovative methods by which to address specific community concerns. So in order to help improve the quality of life of our growing number of Seniors Citizens residents, the Milpitas Police Department enthusiastically presents, "SENIOR ALERT."

The Senior Alert Program is a system which provides automatic, daily checkup calls for Milpitas home-bound and Senior residents. The system monitors whether a call is successfully received and, if a problem occurs, help will be immediately summoned. The only equipment anyone interested in participating would need is a touch-tone phone. The Senior Alert Program is a free service provided to the Seniors and home-bound of our community. For more information concerning the program and how you can participate, contact the Community Relations sergeant by calling (408) 586-2527. 

Project Lifesaver is an innovative rapid response program aiding victims and families suffering from Alzheimer's disease and related disorders such as Down Syndrome and Autism. By forming partnerships with local law enforcement and public safety organizations, Project Lifesaver deploys specially trained teams with the most reliable technology available to locate and return wandering adults and children to their families and caregivers. Visit the Project Lifesaver website for more...