Rachel Munoz
Community Service Officer GILROY POLICE DEPARTMENT
BORN AND RAISED IN GILROY , Rachel Munoz ’ s pride in her community is contagious .
Rachel is in charge of the “ Wipe Out Watch ” graffiti removal program and oversees the volunteers who help stamp out the town ’ s graffiti . “ Being a Graffiti Abatement Officer , I ’ ve really built up a network with businesses and community residents ,” Munoz , 54 , said . “ I let them know that they are a victim of graffiti , but I let them know that the graffiti needs to be abated .”
Rachel has compiled a binder teeming with contact information for local commercial business property owners , who she has helped to understand the importance of removing the graffiti immediately .
“ We ’ re there to help out when we can , but what we want to do is empower the community .” Empowering the community has been a theme of Munoz ’ s 20-year career with the Gilroy Police Department . She joined the department in 1994 as the department ’ s first Community Service Officer after working for the Gilroy Unified School District as a truancy officer . The GPD has recruited CSOs as support staff to help with traffic control at crime scenes , assist with translating and to take cold call reports , allowing police officers more time to patrol the community .
The GPD won a community crime resistance grant in 1995 and selected Munoz to help transform crime-ridden , isolated neighborhoods to safe , community-building ones . Munoz led neighborhood cleanups and community meetings , listened to voices of concern in the community , and gave residents the tools and resources to solve situations in their neighborhoods , from reporting abandoned vehicles and calling absentee landlords to teaching parents the importance of being involved with their children and not allowing them to wear certain colors .
The philosophy of community-oriented policing continued in Gilroy until 2007 when the GPD scaled back the neighborhood policing units due to financial cutbacks . Munoz said the successes from that program have been long lasting . She is particularly proud of the revitalization of San Ysidro Park , which in 1995 parents were afraid to visit with their children .
With the help of a grant which paid for simple landscaping changes , improved lighting and greater police presence , Munoz helped neighbors clean up the park and a community building on the green space , where residents enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast and a visit from Santa that has grown to include 1,000 children over the years .
“ With the whole community policing approach , it ’ s a community approach . Not one person can do it - it will take the whole community ,” Munoz said . Munoz also points to Rogers Lane where she assisted in placing a stop sign and crosswalk at a busy corner and helped residents become the “ eyes and ears ” of their neighborhood and report criminal or suspicious activity . Under Munoz ’ s watch , a dozen neighborhood watch groups have sprung .
Now as the Graffiti Abatement Officer , Munoz oversees “ Wipe Out Watch ,” a group of volunteers who help survey the town for graffiti and paint over it . The program also assists the elderly and handicapped residents with graffiti abatement , provides recycled paint for residents , and alerts property owners that have been tagged . There is also a 24-hour hotline where residents can report graffiti , which receives about 300 monthly calls .
Munoz works with principals and school secretaries , commercial businesses , landlords , residents , and churches and educates them on how to remove graffiti properly and the importance of doing it quickly . Munoz said she enjoys seeing people come together and take pride in the positive changes they help create .
“ Wipe Out Watch ” volunteers Russ and Linda Fruchey say they like helping to clean up the town . “ My grandkids live here , I want them to know they live in a safe community ,” Russ said . The program has become so successful that an account surplus has allowed murals to be painted on the traffic signal boxes around town . Local artists have painted 15 throughout Gilroy . Munoz said they haven ’ t been vandalized and the murals help bring culture into the community .
Munoz said when someone ’ s property is tagged , it ’ s satisfying to hear that they took it upon themselves to clean it up .“ It ’ s really rewarding when you ’ re surrounded by volunteers who really care about their community , who put much so pride in their community , who are genuinely happy to make a positive impact in their community ,” Munoz said .
To learn more about the city ’ s “ Wipe Out Watch ” program or become a volunteer , visit cityofgilroy . org and click on Police and Anti-Graffiti Program . The 24-hour recording line for reporting graffiti in Gilroy is ( 408 ) 846-0395 .
By Kelly Barbazette
S P R I N G 2 0 1 4 G I L R O Y T O D A Y 19