Palo Alto PD Resumes Friday Front-Desk Operations

The Palo Alto Police Department’s front desk will be open on Fridays again, police announced today.

Friday service will start Aug. 14.

The change comes after a six-year hiatus when police were unable to fill some positions, police Lt. Zach Perron said. The department is adjusting and staggering work schedules of staff members to accommodate the new hours, police said.

Palo Alto police technical services director Charles Cullen said in a statement that front desk staff provide an array of services to the public and are the “public face of the police department.”

“We’re happy to be able to offer their services during all five days of the business week again,” Cullen said. Front desk staff members greet residents and refer them to the appropriate officer, police said.

They take booking photos and fingerprints, and among other things, process police reports, citations and arrest warrants, according to police.

Staff members from the records division are responsible for the front desk, police said. Those staff members have been working on Fridays during the past six years doing paperwork and handling administrative duties, but were not operating the public counter, according to police.

Field service division officers, such as patrol officers, are on duty 24 hours a day, police said.

Residents can contact police during non-business hours at the department’s 24-hour dispatch line at (650) 329-2413, police said.

--Bay City News