Lifestyle in Monterey County
Few places can compare to the quality of life in Monterey County. Its no surprise people vacation in Monterey from all over the world.
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Our climate: always comfortable
Outdoors enthusiasts paradise
dining: from tacos to fine dining
If you enjoy food you are going to like Monterey County. We have everything from food trucks to Michelin Star rated dining experiences and everything in between. There are also several wine, food, and beer festivals throughout the year. There are about 65 wineries in Monterey County! Do you enjoy craft beer? Local breweries with taprooms include: special events: the calendar is full year around
attractions: Only in monterey county
monterey airport: connect to anywere
Monterey Airport is conveniently located in the city of Monterey. You can park your car and walk into the terminal in minutes. Jump on a flight to many west coast international hubs where you can continue on to anywhere in the world. Direct flights from Monterey to:
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"...The officer went above-and-beyond expectations and was extremely professional and courteous and made a lasting impression..."
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The MPD FamilyOur department is made up of 53 sworn personnel and 19 professional staff. Chief Hober has been leading the department since 2015. He brought 26 years of experience from a large northern California police agency with him. Assistant Chief Bruno, our three Lieutenants, and our nine Sergeants were all promoted from within the ranks of Monterey PD.
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HOW DOES MPD SUPPORT ITS WORKFORCE?
Being a police officer can be stressful. MPD has an active (all volunteer) peer support team. The team is there in times of need, but they also try to build camaraderie by planning events. They host a weekly after work mountain bike ride and occasional fishing trips, happy hours, and hikes. Family members are always welcome. There is also an MPD employee association that furnishes our break room, provides coffee and snacks, and hosts potlucks and an annual holiday party. The MPD administration throws an annual awards banquet for employees and their families. We enjoy a meal together and honor outstanding work from the prior year. The administration also hosts an annual department wide meeting where we talk about the direction of the department for the next year and take photos of all personnel and individual teams. |
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"I think my guardian angel was working overtime that day...and the officer was a big part of it."
How We Contribute and InnovateWe pride ourselves in innovation at MPD. We are a progressive police department and are not afraid to research, plan, and implement new ideas. Many of our best ideas have been brought forward by our Sergeants and Officers.
Multidisciplinary outreach team
Our Multidisciplinary Outreach Team addresses issues related to homelessness within our city. The Police Officers on the team are on the streets enforcing the law and contacting unhoused people. The Officers strive to connect the unhoused with other team members who are social workers, drug rehab counselors, and service providers with a goal of getting unhoused people off the streets. De-escalation training
Our department values all human life and we work to de-escalate whenever it is safe to do so. All MPD Officers participate in Crisis Intervention Training to learn techniques in dealing with people in mental health crisis. Every Officers also receives special training in tactics to handle calls involving non-firearm weapons. With these tactics we create an opportunity to de-escalate and avoid a lethal force situation. |
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detective mentorship program
Our Detective Mentorship Program gives Officers the opportunity to work as a Detective for 30-60 days. The Officer gets exposed to more complex investigations and finds out if they may be interested in a four year tour as a Detective. Interviews for special assignments like Detective are held every fall. community interaction
Our relationship with the community is critical. To support our on-line dialogue with the community we have a group of sworn and professional staff that are our social media team. We also host National Night Out where we invite the community to interact with us on the city hall lawn with games for kids and food for everyone. At our annual Citizen's Academy community members can learn about the innerworkings of their police department. Every year the PD teams up with local civic groups and the fire department to deliver Thanksgiving meals to those in need. "I am thrilled that [my son's] first interaction with police officers will be a foundation of trust and confidence..." |
Our Community Support
Support from our community
The citizens of Monterey strongly support the Police Department. In 2020, the citizens overwhelmingly voted to increase a tax to help fund city services including emergency response. We serve a diverse community that tends to be well educated. Many work in education, hospitality, and healthcare. We also serve the people who travel to Monterey from all over the world to experience our beaches, aquarium, dining, shopping, and special events. There are 37 beautiful public parks in our 8.4 square miles! Monterey is home to several military installations supported by thousands of soldiers and their families. Many troops are here to earn a degree from the Naval Postgraduate School or learn a language at the Defense Language Institute. The Monterey Peninsula College and Middlebury Institute of International Studies also fall within the Monterey Jurisdiction. |
Crime in monterey
The violent crime rate in Monterey is very low. This may be because at MPD we pride ourselves in proactively policing the city, building community partnerships, and investing in high quality training for our staff. MPD responded to 50,036 calls for service in 2021. We booked over 1,000 people into jail, including 334 felony cases. We also provided services to 293 people experiencing homelessness and assisted in housing 25 people. 
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Support from our City Government
The city government values the police department as an important part of the Monterey team. Council member Ed Smith retired from MPD after 26 years of service. The city has recently added back many of the police department positions which were frozen during COVID. June 29, 2022 the city and the Monterey Police Association (Police union) agreed to a contract with a 4% raise in 2022 and a 4% raise in 2023. Members will also receive retention pay of $275/month after 3 years of service at top step pay and an additional $275/month after 6 years of service at top step (total $550/ month). Employees also receive up to $2,540 toward a health insurance plan. |