CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad Police Department has begun recruiting for six positions within its new Community-Oriented Policing and Problem-Solving (COPPS) team, a proactive unit focused on crime prevention, quality-of-life issues and community partnerships.
Police Chief Christie Calderwood said the new team will be flexible and nimble, bringing police and residents together to identify and address the ever-changing needs of the community.
The COPPS model develops tailored solutions to improve public safety and neighborhood livability, emphasizing trust-building, collaboration and prevention through data analysis and community engagement, city staff said.
According to Calderwood, emerging local issues necessitating the COPPS unit include the rise of protests nationwide and locally — Carlsbad police staffed 17 protests in 2025 and more than 90 since 2020 — as well as “the continuous boom of e-bike usage” and “juvenile issues, not just at our parks but across the city of Carlsbad.”
“The COPPS team being requested tonight would provide a dedicated resource to address criminal trends and quality of life issues throughout the city,” Calderwood said, “enabling the department to not just respond to calls for service, but to proactively build trust through collaboration and long-term solutions.”
Calderwood said that rather than responding to the same crimes repeatedly, the COPPS team will address the “root cause” through data analysis and community partnerships.
She added that the team will also help law enforcement reduce response times on calls for service. By having a dedicated unit address issues such as chronic nuisance properties or neighbor disputes, patrol officers will be able to remain on their beats and respond more quickly to Priority 1 calls.
The Carlsbad City Council unanimously approved the creation and financing of the new COPPS team.
Carlsbad Police had previously requested $3 million for a full department radio replacement, but determined it only needed to replace radios that can no longer be repaired. The department requested and received approval to move $2.9 million from the Asset Replacement Reserve to the General Fund reserve to cover one-time costs associated with launching the COPPS team.
Additionally, staff requested and received $684,350 to be appropriated from the General Fund to CPD’s current fiscal year budget.
Councilmember Kevin Shin thanked the police department for “being fiscally prudent” with its budget by recognizing COPPS was “a higher priority than replacements of and maintenance of radios.”
With the addition of the COPPS team, the Carlsbad Police Department joins the Escondido and Oceanside police departments in having such units, according to the city. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office also uses COPPS teams in Encinitas, San Marcos, Solana Beach and Vista.
The COPPS team will include six new positions, with a new lieutenant overseeing the department’s seven-member Homeless Outreach Team.
Assistant Police Chief Reid Shipley said the Homeless Outreach Team is currently managed by the Special Investigations lieutenant, “requiring them to divide their focus between the detailed, meticulous and most challenging criminal investigations and the responsive, community-engaged” work addressing homelessness in the field.
Shipley added that the lieutenant will serve as the point of contact for quality-of-life concerns and will be able to direct resources more cohesively than when those responsibilities were divided among multiple lieutenants.
The COPPS sergeant will oversee four officers who will be boat-, bike- and drone-certified, Shipley said, “enabling them to better see, contact and enforce violations in these locations” that are “not readily observable or accessible to patrol vehicles.”
Calderwood said the department’s current process requires officers to have at least three years of patrol experience to apply for a special assignment, such as the COPPS team.
The division will also include two rangers to address issues on city trails, in response to community requests.
Mayor Pro Tem Priya Bhat-Patel said she appreciated the focus on prevention to “address issues before they start to escalate” and described the COPPS team as an “investment in our quality of life.”
Mayor Keith Blackburn echoed that sentiment, saying the city’s ability to attract major businesses and maintain high property values is tied not only to its location but also to public safety and quality of life.
“As long as we keep our quality of life the way it is,” Blackburn said, “big businesses are going to choose to locate in Carlsbad, people are going to be willing to spend more for houses in Carlsbad.”
