The Pacific a Police Department was established when the city was just two years old, in 1959. At the time, just nine officers and one chief of police patrolled the area; today, the department has grown to 38 officers and a chief.
Public Information Officer and Captain Fernando Realyvasquez said the Pacifica Police take a "community-oriented" approach to their work, and although they lost funding from the city for a school resource officer, all officers are directed to help at area schools as much as possible.
Although Pacifica doesn't have a high homicide rate, the police force, which operates strictly within the city limits, deals with crimes typically found in larger communities, said Realyvasquez. That's because Daly City and South San Francisco border Pacifica, and its population swells with the movement of people throughout the day.
"There is a little bit of everything [with regard to crime]," he said, including car jacking, domestic violence and property crimes, among other things.
The PPD's website features many informational and action-oriented programs for the public, including an accident report request service, a place to make police reports, information on becoming a reserve officer and applying for a ride-along.