Community Service Organization (CSO)

Organizational Values

• Community Service is the ultimate goal of our organization. Community service is an attitude of caring and desire to help the campus community. We strive for quality, timeliness, and excellence in our services.
• Integrity is at the core of our work. Integrity is being honest and ethical with both ourselves and others. We accept responsibility for our actions and are willing to learn from our mistakes, thereby earning respect, credibility, and the public's trust.
• Professionalism is the style in which we carry out our duties. Professionalism is a projection of the responsibility and pride we have in our position. We hold ourselves to high standards by continuous evaluation of ourselves and our program.
• Sensitivity is the quality we exhibit in our interaction and communication with others. Sensitivity is a display of respect for the desires and rights of other individuals. We want to respond to others in a tactful, understanding, and helpful manner.

Services:

• Operation of the SafeWalk Night Safety Service(link is external)
• Nighttime patrol of the residence halls
• Traffic control and assistance for Cal Football games
• Fire trail and Hill patrol
• Supplemental presence at concerts and special events

The Position

The CSO program is service-oriented. CSOs are non-confrontational and do not act as law enforcement officers. CSO's typically operate UCPD's Night Safety Services, SafeWalk Service for members of the campus community, and frequently conduct security foot patrols of campus proper, outlying campus properties, the student residence halls, and libraries. CSOs also provide general support for the University Police Department, including staffing for special events. (i.e. concerts, dances, sport events, etc.) and are expected to report any situation requiring a police or medical response. The CSO program allow many opportunities for promotion and professional advancement including IC (In-Charge) CSO, Field Training Officer, and Supervisory positions.

Job Types 

• SafeWalk Nighttime Safety Service
• Housing Patrol
• Davis Hall Staffing
• Campus Bicycle Registration
• Special Event Security
• Traffic Direction

 and more!

Requirements 

• Be a registered UC Berkeley student in good academic standing with at least one year remaining before graduation.
• Pass a detailed background investigation.
• Be prepared to work a minimum of 12 hours per week (2 shifts a week), including evening, night, and weekend shifts.
• Be able to work late night and early morning shifts, some lasting until 4 A.M.
• Be able to travel 6-12 miles per night.
• Have vision correctable for safe and legal operation of a standard-equipped motor vehicle. If you have a disability that prevents you from driving, you will not be required to execute this portion of the job.
• Be able, given training, to quickly and accurately manipulate the controls of a police radio, and to communicate effectively with and clearly understand a police dispatcher, via radio with or without disability accommodation in equipment or medium of communication.
• Be able to write concisely and legibly by hand or using a device if needed as a disability accommodation.
• Be able to follow written and oral instructions, with a minimum of supervision.
• Be able to remain calm in stressful situations and utilize common sense.
• Be able to work and communicate with the general public and maintain a demeanor of professionalism that is acceptable to the general public, and conforms to departmental standards.

The Application Process

Applications are completed entirely through this link

Disability Accommodations:

If you need disability accommodations for any portion of the application process, please contact Sgt. Kevin Vincent at 510-642-6760 or email kvincent@berkeley.edu 7-10 days prior to any deadlines.

Application: 

Receipt of your application will be acknowledged via telephone. A Walk-Along and an Oral Board will be scheduled at his time.

Walk-Along: 

You must complete a walk-along prior to your oral board. During the walk-along, you will be paired up with an on-duty CSO for a 30-60 minutes. This will allow you to experience CSO duties and to ask any questions you may have.

Oral Board Interview: 

The interview will consist of an oral board panel who will take turns asking you questions about yourself, and then present you with some hypothetical situations. You will be expected to explain how you would react in such situations. Your score is based on how well you answer these personal and hypothetical questions.

An example of a personal question is: "Why do you want to be a CSO?"

The following is an example of a hypothetical question: You are on duty, in uniform, equipped with a police radio and a flashlight. You are walking a student home when you hear a report on the radio of a bike theft, which just occurred, near your location. Suddenly, you see the suspect walking the bike toward you. What would you do?

The Oral Board is an important part of the hiring process, so you will want to present yourself well. Try not to be too nervous. Do not be surprised if the interviewers question your answers. They are not trying to antagonize you; they are trying to learn more about you and the reasoning behind your answers. The interview will last 30 minutes.

Background Investigation and Fingerprinting Check: 

You will be notified of the hiring decision within 24 hours of your Oral Board interview. Offers of employment are conditional until completion of the background investigation process and fingerprint checks, which may take up to two weeks. After being offered employment, you will be required to attend a mandatory New Hire Orientation, as well as successfully pass the training program in the field.

Contact Information

For questions or concerns, contact our Hiring Team at (510) 642-3722 or at csohiring@berkeley.edu.