Grapeseed Police Department

The Grapeseed Police Department is the law enforcement agency responsible for serving the town and people of Grapeseed, along with the surrounding areas of Galilee and Cape Catfish. The Grapeseed Police Department also conducts traffic enforcement on the Senora Freeway which runs through the town and combats speeders along with drug traffickers.

## History

The Grapeseed Police Department was formed on February 17, 1974, after the citizens of Grapeseed wanted to establish their own police department to patrol and serve them, instead of having the Sandy Shores Police Department respond to calls when needed. The Senora Valley Police Department also responded to calls but was often more spread out so they couldn't always respond quickly enough to Grapeseed.

The GPD was not a large department when founded as it had just a Chief of Police and 3 officers who split the 3 shifts by each covering one hour. The GPD gained a few more officers by 1980, but the pay compared to other departments wasn't as high so they did tend to loose officers to other departments. The GPD however got an increased budget when the GPD began combating drug trafficking on the Senora Freeway which would get them federal grants by giving the drugs to the DEA, which boosted their budget and led to pay increases for officers.

The GPD began also purchasing newer equipment by 1990, which included 2 unmarked 1987 Ford Mustang patrol vehicles for their Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) which patrolled the Senora Freeway. In 1995, the GPD officially was accepted in to the San Andreas Anti-Drug Task Force which brought them more money by being a part of the unit as it got them more grants and support from the state and federal government. The GPD also established a Detective Bureau in 1997 which was made up of a full time detective and an officer who was trained in investigations. The GPD became a "fully professional" police department by 2007, following the implementation of a K-9 Officer who would assist with patrols and drug searches on vehicle stops.

## Ranks

Being that the Grapeseed Police Department isn't large, they don't have as many ranks as a large police department but they do still have some ranks within their structure:

* Chief of Police
* Captain
* Lieutenant
* Sergeant
* Detective
* Officer

## Chief's of Police

* Chuck Ellis (2024-Present)
* Eric Payne (2019-2024)
* John Douglass (2008-2019)
* Cesar Donchez (2001-2008)
* Kenneth "Ken" Moore (1988-2001)
* Paul Bozeman (1974-1988)

## Equipment

The standard patrol vehicle for the Grapeseed Police Department is the Dodge Charger Pursuit from model years 2012-2018 which is Black and has Grapeseed Police Department on the side in Silver and also has the GPD Badge on the door, with a purple stripe as well. The GPD also maintains a few unmarked 2015-2017 Chevrolet Tahoe's for the Traffic and Drug Combat Unit (DCU).

The sidearm for the GPD is currently the Glock Model 21 Gen 4 .45 ACP handgun which is outfitted with night sights and a tactical flashlight. The SIG Sauer P365 9mm is the backup gun issued to officers beginning in 2023.

All patrol vehicles have a SIG Sauer M400 Patrol 5.56x45mm rifle and a Remington Model 870 12 gauge pump shotgun. In addition to lethal equipment, all officers carry an X26 Taser, OC Spray and an ASP Baton on their duty belt.