City of Cypress
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- Due to changes mandated by the State of California Department of Justice, we no longer provide public requests for fingerprinting services. All fingerprints submitted to the Department must be completed using LiveScan technology. We maintain a local listing of law enforcement agencies that provide this service.
- The Buena Park Police Department is the nearest location offering fingerprinting services. Please contact the Buena Park Police Department, (714) 562-3901, for available appointment times and fees.
- (714) 229-6614.
- (714) 229-6600.
- 5275 Orange Ave, Cypress, California 90630, located between Grindlay Ave and Walker Street.
I am going out of town and wondered if the Police Department has a program where an officer will check on my house while I am gone.
The Cypress Police Department provides citizens with a free visual check of the exterior of your residence while you are away from home. Please fill out the online Vacation House Check form and submit at least one week prior to leaving on vacation. Make sure to lock all doors and windows prior to leaving and please notify the Cypress Police Department when you return. This service is performed by Volunteers in Policing Members wearing identifying uniforms and driving a marked police department vehicle. If you have any questions about this form, call Police Records at (714) 229-6600.
- The Records Department is open Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (714) 229-6610.
- Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.,
Closed on Saturday & Sunday
(714) 229-6614 - The Cypress Police Department no longer registers bicycles in the lobby. To register your bicycle, please use the online registration provided by the National Bicycle Registry, www.nationalbikeregistry.com/register.html. Once you are registered, you do not need to do anything else.
- Street sweeping signs are posted at every entrance to each residential district. The signs are checked frequently to make sure they haven't been removed or damaged.
Do the street sweepers operate in the rain? Does the Police Department issue street sweeping tickets in the rain?
Yes, the sweepers operate in the rain and the parking enforcement continues in the rain. The sweepers operate in the rain to remove debris that may obstruct flood control drains.Can I be granted an exception for street sweeping tickets if I have a broken car parked in front of my home?
If all efforts to move the car are unsuccessful, you may call the Cypress Police Department and request "no cite," but only if you call prior to the sweeper's arrival. This is a courtesy and is only granted sparingly. Your car may be tagged for the 72 hour limit on street parking.- You can pay your fine via mail or on line at www.citationprocessingcenter.com. If paying by mail, enclose a check for the amount indicated on the citation and mail using the attached, pre-addressed envelope. Don't forget postage.
- If you feel you received the citation in error or you wish to contest the citation, you can appeal the violation at the Cypress Police Department or on-line at www.citationprocessingcenter.com.
- Citation appeals must be received within 21 days of the issue date on the citation.
How can I check to see if payment for my parking ticket has been received, check the status of my parking ticket, or find out how much I owe?
The City of Cypress contracts the parking violation process with a citation management company called Data Ticket, Inc. You can contact Data Ticket, Inc.'s twenty-four (24) hour automated system and to help answer all of your questions. Data Ticket 's toll free number is 800-989-2058, or for faster access, refer to their website at www.citationprocessingcenter.com.- Parking enforcement officers sometimes fall behind the sweeper when they have to stop and write several parking citations at one location. The sweepers do not stop to wait for the tickets to be issued. By the time the parking enforcement officer finishes writing the tickets, the sweeper may have swept your house with no enforcement officer. There are other reasons, but this is the most common.
- Disabled parking is described and regulated by the California Vehicle Code as follows: Section 22507.8. It is unlawful for any person to park or leave standing any vehicle in a stall or space designated for disabled persons and disabled veterans unless the vehicle displays either a special identification license plate or placard issued by the DMV. Section 22511.8 requires the below listed disabled parking stall markings for off-street parking such as retail shopping centers:
- A sign posted immediately adjacent to, and visible form, each stall or space, a sign consisting of a profile view of a wheelchair with occupant in white on a blue background and:
- A blue/white wheel chair with occupant painted on the pavement in the stall.
- Information can be found on the backside of the application flyer, on the website, or at the Cypress Library, 5331 Orange Ave, Cypress, CA 90630. You will be better prepared and less apt to be nervous if you prepare for the interview by researching the department and the city. The interview board will further measure your potential and your qualifications by exploring and evaluating your problem solving abilities, respect for diversity, community service orientation, role adaptability, communications ability and motivation.
- Applications and interest cards are available at the Personnel Offices of City Hall and the Police Department; 5275 Orange Avenue, Cypress, CA 90630, (714) 229-6684 or (714) 229-6630; or online at Cypress Police Career Opportunities.
- Yes, patrol is the foundation of police work. Once you graduate from the academy, you will be assigned to a Field Training Program with a Training Officer for a period of twenty weeks. After completing the training program, you will be assigned to the patrol division, working in a single man car through the remainder of your probation period of eighteen months. As a patrol officer, you will gain the necessary experience through practicing investigative techniques, public relations, crime scene investigation, evidence preservation, report writing, etc., to enhance your future career.
- Patrol officers work three 12.5-hour shifts per week, with one additional 12.5-hour shift per month. Officers working in a special assignment work four 10-hour shifts per week. Officers may be called in to work at any time for an emergency, and may be subpoenaed to court for cases they are involved in. Non-sworn personnel typically work four 10-hour shifts per week. Additional work schedules include the 12-hour shifts, as well as part time shifts.
- Police officers are compensated under a planned salary range negotiated by the Cypress Police Officer's Association and approved by the Cypress City Council. The salary schedule includes seven steps within the range. The first step (Step 0) is normally the hiring rate for an Academy-Trained Officer or brand new officer with minimal experience, and after six months a merit increase to Step A may be recommended. Steps B, C, D, E, and F are merit increases eligible after one year at each successive step.
- After probation, you are eligible to test for a special assignment. The term for a special assignment will generally be for three (3) years, with the possibility of two (2) one-year extensions. The Chief of Police determines the selection process for special assignments and the list of candidates will typically expire in six months unless exhausted, canceled, or merged with another current eligibility list. The special assignments are as follows: Criminal Investigations Bureau (gangs, vice and intelligence, narcotics, crimes against persons, property crimes, and fraud), Special Weapons and Tactics Team, Crisis Negotiations Team, K-9, Field Training Officer, and Motor Officer. Civilian positions include Support Services Supervisor, Community Outreach Officer, Police Services Officer, Police Clerk, Police Aide, Office Assistant, and Office Specialist.
- Yes. The City of Cypress offers tuition reimbursement of $1,320 per year, negotiated by the Cypress Police Officer's Association, and $1,500 tuition reimbursement, negotiated by the Cypress Employees Association (civilian positions).
- Candidates seeking to promote within the department must pass an examination process and be placed on an eligible list for promotion. The successive rungs in the promotional ladder are Police Sergeant, Police Lieutenant, Police Captain, and Chief of Police.
- Citizen Volunteers assist police personnel performing nonhazardous duties in the Records Division, Investigation, Fleet Maintenance, Community Relations and Citizen Patrol.
- In a marked volunteer vehicle they act as additional eyes and ears of the community. They also perform Vacation House Checks for citizens who would like their home checked while they are out of town. Vacation House Check forms are available in the lobby of the police department.
- Citizen Volunteers complete an application process similar to a regular police employee. They must complete an application, have an oral interview and pass a background investigation.
- Citizen Volunteers are asked to donate a minimum of four hours per week.
- Successful applicants attend a seven week training course prior to being assigned. At the completion of training, Citizen Volunteers graduate and receive a uniform.
- The Cypress Police Department has established and promotes a ride-a-long program as a portion of its Community Policing philosophy and Crime Prevention strategies. The ride-a-long program is intended to educate the public as to the everyday challenges which confront law enforcement and enhance relations between the community and police officers. Currently, we offer a four hour ride-a-long any day, (schedule permitting) anytime between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and midnight. Participants must be Cypress residents or local merchants and will be screened through a local record check. For information regarding a ride-a-long, you may pickup a ride-a-long application at the Cypress Police Department's front counter or contact Community Services at (714) 229-6626.
- The Cypress Police Explorer program is made up of young men and women between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one interested in learning about careers in law enforcement and the judicial system. Explorers learn about career opportunities and duties in a classroom environment and through actual hands-on field experiences. The Explorers meet every Wednesday at the Police Department for uniform inspection, training and discussion and planning of upcoming events. Click here for more details about the Explorer Program. Anyone interested in the Explorer program should call the Cypress Police Department at 714-229-6600, or email cpresti@cypressca.org.
- The Cypress Police Department has discontinued the issuance of our patch even to authorized law enforcement personnel.
- The Cypress Police Department has provided drug and gang awareness instruction through our D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program to students within the Cypress Elementary School District for over fifteen years. In fact, we were one of the first police departments to provide this program in Orange County. Our new program, P.A.C.E., recently replaced D.A.R.E. P.A.C.E. was created and designed to enhance awareness, influence choices, and educate grade six students in the area of internet safety, social media, peer pressure, bullying, violence, and drug abuse. The ten-week character-based program is taught to all grade six students from the Cypress School District, as well as two schools from the Savanna School District and two private schools (totaling approximately 900 students) using components of the Josephson Institute of Ethics' "Character Counts!" We also offer officer visitations to the lower grades in all of the elementary schools in the district. For more information regarding the P.A.C.E. program, contact Community Outreach Officer Julie Marquez at (714) 229-6626, or visit the P.A.C.E. web page.
- Mood swings, abnormal sleep patterns, a deterioration in general health, new and/or questionable friends, withdrawal from family and friends, a change in hygiene, and visible drug paraphernalia (including pipes, cut straws, drawings of marijuana leaves, etc.) are all possible signs of illegal narcotic usage.
- You, as a neighborhood resident, can tell what activities do not look right in your neighborhood. For example: Persons who come and go from a residence at all hours of the day and night and usually after only spending a few minutes at the location, overhearing conversations regarding narcotic transactions, person who you actually observe using and/or selling narcotics, and houses where the residents never seem to sleep.
What should I do if I find something in my son/daughter's room, back pack, vehicle, etc., that I think is illegal narcotics?
Leave the items alone and call the police. DO NOT open the containers, sniff or taste the contents, or throw the contents away.- Educate your children as to what they should do or say if ever offered any drugs. Take an interest in you child's life. Know who their friends are, where they live, and what type of involvement the parents have in their lives.
- You always have the option of remaining anonymous, however, make certain that you provide the police with as much detailed information as possible to allow for maximum efficiency in arresting individuals and stopping the narcotics activity you are reporting.
- There are two types of warrants for persons. 1) Bench and 2) Arrest. A Bench Warrant may be issued whenever a defendant fails to appear in court as required by law including, but not limited to, the following situations:
- If the defendant is ordered by a judge or magistrate to personally appear in court at a specific time and place.
- If the defendant is released from custody on bail and is ordered by a judge or magistrate, or other person authorized to accept bail, to personally appear in court at a specific time and place.
- If the defendant is released from custody on his own recognizance and promises to personally appear at court at a specific time and place.
- If the defendant is released from custody or arrest upon citation by a peace officer or other person authorized to issue citations and the defendant has signed a promise to appear in court at a specific time and place.
- If a defendant is authorized to appear by counsel and the court or magistrate orders that the defendant personally appears in court at a specific time and place.
- If an information charge or indictment has been filed in the superior court and court has fixed the date and place for the defendant personally to appear for arraignment.
An Arrest Warrant may be issued when a complaint is filed with a magistrate charging a public offense, if the magistrate is satisfied from the complaint that the offense charged has been committed and that there is reasonable ground to believe that the defendant has committed it, the magistrate shall issue a warrant for the arrest of the defendant.- The warrant of arrest shall specify the name of the defendant or, if unknown, the defendant may be designated therein by any name. It shall also state the time it was issued, and the city or county where it was issued, and shall be signed by the magistrate issuing it with the title of his office and the name of the court or other issuing agency.
- At the time of issuing a warrant of arrest, the magistrate shall fix the amount of bail which in his judgment in accordance with the provisions of section 1275 PC. (This section deals with considerations the magistrate makes when determining the setting of bail). The amount will be reasonable and sufficient for the appearance of the defendant following his arrest, if the offense is bailable, and said magistrate shall endorse upon said warrant a statement signed by him, with the name of his office, dated at the county, city or town where it is made to the following effect “The defendant is to be admitted to bail in the sum of ----------dollars.” (Stating the amount).
- If you have been arrested for suspicion of drunk driving, you are required by California State law to submit to a chemical test to determine the amount of alcohol in your blood (implied consent law – 23157 CVC (23157(a)(1) ). The two tests that are offered are:
- Blood or,
- breath
After the testing, if your test results show you have a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or more, your license will be taken away on the spot. An Administrative “Per SE” (In and of itself) order of suspension 13353.2 CVC (13353.2 (a) ) is given. This is a driver’s suspension which is issued by the officer at the time of arrest. (You will be given a 30-day temporary driving permit to allow for review and appeal of your case to the DMV). The suspension becomes effective 30 days after it is issued.
Upon completion of implied consent, you will either be cited (given a court date) or released after a six hour sobering period, or taken to the Orange County Jail. - If you are found guilty in court, fines and penalties will be imposed on you. These fines and penalties will be determined by the court and can range from one (1) year in County Jail to four (4) years in State Prison.
- On your first conviction (misdemeanor), you will be fined $400-$1000, and you may be required to serve up to six months in jail with three to five years of probation. Attendance in a drug/alcohol treatment program and community service may be required.
- On a second (2nd) conviction you will have to pay the same fines, spend more time in jail (90 days to one year), and lose your license for up to eighteen (18) months. A judge may require attendance for over a year in a drug/alcohol treatment program.
- On a third (3rd) conviction within seven (7) years, you could go to jail for two (2) to four (4) years, and fines could be as high as $5000.
- The fourth (4th) conviction is an automatic felony.