Community Programs

The Redwood City Police Department offers a range of programs designed to build partnerships between officers and the residents they serve; from neighborhood-level crime prevention to youth mentorship and mental health response. Below is an overview of each.

Neighborhood Watch
Neighborhood Watch focuses on advising individual neighborhood groups on strategies to discourage, deter, and prevent crime, while building collaboration between police and neighbors, focused on improving community safety. The program is community-driven, facilitated by Department staff and volunteers, and is designed to be a sustained, cohesive group of neighbors looking out for one another.

Cadet Program
The Redwood City Police Cadet Program offers youth valuable experience as they explore the vocation of law enforcement, while providing many hours of volunteer service to the community during City events and large-scale incidents. Cadets are unarmed and are not police officers, but they are exposed to policing topics in controlled environments under close supervision of Department employees. The program has helped launch a number of cadets into careers as sworn officers.

VIPS Program (Volunteers in Police Service)
VIPS provides adult community members with volunteer opportunities to use their skills and experience to assist the Police Department, strengthening the relationship between the Department and the community. Volunteers supplement the efforts of paid staff, with primary focus areas including event management support and facilitation of programs like Neighborhood Watch.

National Night Out
National Night Out is an annual community-building event that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie, held alongside millions of neighbors across the country. Neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, and cookouts featuring safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, and visits from emergency personnel.

Parent Project
The Parent Project (also known as Parent Project/Loving Solutions) is a course offered by the Department to give parents practical tools and strategies for managing difficult or at-risk adolescent behavior, helping build stronger family relationships and connect parents with community resources.

Community Academy
The Community Police Academy educates members of the public about the roles and responsibilities of police officers through a curriculum similar to what real police recruits receive, taught by veteran officers and outside experts. Topics include criminal law, narcotics, evidence and forensics, a jail tour, K-9 demonstrations, and hands-on decision-making scenarios, with no charge to attend. A Spanish-language version of the Academy is also offered.

Coffee with the Cops
Coffee with the Cops is an informal event that allows community members to ask questions, learn about police programs, and voice concerns directly to officers, with no formal presentation and open drop-in attendance.

Youth Academy
The Youth Academy gives young people insight into what police work involves, covering police training and operations, de-escalation, crisis intervention, and support services within the Department. The goal is to improve mutual understanding between the Department and local youth.

Redwood City PAL
Founded in 1995, the Police Activities League (PAL) is a nonprofit community organization providing prevention, intervention, and advocacy services to children, youth, and families, built on a mission to create positive partnerships between youth, police, and the community. PAL operates through a public-private partnership between the City, the Police Department, the school district, and Parks & Recreation, offering programs in education, sports, and leadership mentoring.

CWCRT (Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team)
CWCRT is a partnership between regional police departments and San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, created to respond to individuals experiencing behavioral health crises. The program embeds a licensed clinician within the Department who partners with officers in a co-response model, assessing client needs and connecting individuals with appropriate mental health resources and services.

CCAT (Community Coordinating Activities Team)
CCAT is central to the Department's community policing approach, working to build a cooperative relationship between police and residents that goes beyond traditional policing. CCAT staff manage the Department's social media program, oversee the Homeless Outreach Program, coordinate the VIPS program, and work to develop residents' capacity to identify problems and advocate effectively for their own neighborhoods.