Special Enforcement Division

The El Cajon Police Department has a history of working with the community to create a safe environment for those who live, work and visit our city.  By teaming with community organizations and proactively addressing current crime trends, the Special Enforcement Division (SED) works on a daily basis to enhance the quality of life for all members of our community.

 The division is the home of three vital police units.

• Special Operations Unit
• Traffic Unit
• Gang Street Team.

 Special Operations Unit: 

This diverse unit is responsible for several highly specialized department efforts.  First and foremost, the members of the Special Operations Unit (SOU) are tasked with identifying and solving emerging crime trends throughout the city.  They work in collaboration with the community to identify potential crime trends and then develop strategies to resolve those issues.  The members of SOU realize that the community is often their most valuable resource in resolving quality of life issues.

In order to successfully tackle crime trends, SOU employs various methods of policing.  SOU utilizes uniformed bicycle officers to patrol the downtown area and city parks.  This unique method of policing allows SOU officers to respond to calls for service at just about any location.  These officers are also very proactive and have become very effective at combating street level crimes. 

The El Cajon Police Department is committed to maintaining a safe environment at our school campuses.  SOU provides a specially trained police officer to each of the four major high school campuses within the city.  These School Resource Officers (SRO) handle all law enforcement issues on campus while building rapport with students through daily interaction. 

SOU even has the ability to solve problems before they occur.  The unit accomplishes this through the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program (CFMH) which was implemented by the El Cajon Police Department in 1997.  This was the first such program established in the County of San Diego.  Currently the CFMH Program has over one hundred properties participating in this worthwhile crime prevention project. 

Our Crime Prevention Specialist is responsible for organizing Neighborhood Watch programs and monitoring crime issues city-wide.

Special Operations is home to some non-traditional police programs such as the Serial Inebriate Program (SIP) and Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Program.  SIP enables our department to address the issue of chronic substance abusers within the homeless community.  This program is a cooperative effort with the county court system and allows officers to place abusers into specific facilities.  The ABC program is a grant funded program that targets alcoholic beverage issues such as illegal alcohol sales and underage drinking.

Traffic Unit: 

Through education and enforcement, the El Cajon Police Department Traffic Unit strives to reduce vehicle and pedestrian accidents.  The unit is made up of highly trained men and women who specialize in all aspects of vehicle traffic.

Motorcycle Officers team with Accident Investigators and Parking Enforcement Specialists to address traffic issues throughout the city.  From parking control to reconstructing a major collision, members of the Traffic Unit can be counted on to make a major impact on the daily commute in and around the city. 

The Traffic Unit is responsible for special events such as DUI check points and community events like traffic control at the annual Mother Goose Parade.  Members of this unit work in conjunction with city traffic engineers to ensure the roadways are safe and traffic flow remains as efficient as possible.

Gang Street Team:

Unfortunately, gang activity is a very real issue throughout the county.  The El Cajon Police Department has taken a very progressive stance against gang activity and as such organized the Gang Street Team (GST).  This uniformed police unit is made up of specially trained officers who can identify and address gang related issues throughout the city. 

This proactive unit has been responsible for investigating and solving several high profile gang crimes.  GST accomplishes this worthwhile goal by working with other divisions, police agencies and especially the community.

The El Cajon Police Department was the first in San Diego County to implement the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program (pdf) in 1997, which is our leading community oriented project for the department. There are currently nearly 100 such communities (pdf) among El Cajon's nearly 900 apartment buildings. We started the Crime Free Motel/Hotel Program in 2002, and are currently working on the Crime Free Mobile-Housing Program. Collectively, all these programs will be known as the "Crime Free Programs."

For assistance with removal of trespassers, please go to our Illegal Lodging Enforcement Letter (PDF).  Print the document and submit the signed copy to the Community Policing Division.

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.

Links to other entities: