The City of Hercules prides itself in the area of public safety. Hercules has a reputation of low crime and quick response times. Hercules has a City Police Department and is served by the Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District
Police Department
The City’s first police officer was hired in 1965. He was a one-man police department and patrolled the company-owned town of 300. A few years later, Hercules contracted with the Pinole Police Department for police services. In 1977, the City Council decided to establish its own police department as the population and demand for services increased. On July 1, 1978, the Hercules Police Department opened its doors and began modern law enforcement in Hercules.
The mission and the philosophy of the Police Department at inception were community involvement and interaction with the citizens. Officers engaged in frequent contact with citizens, conducted foot patrols of the parks and conducted neighborhood watch meetings. Utilizing a generalist concept, officers handled all aspects of investigations from start to finish, including liaison with the District Attorney’s Office and the court. Officer deployment was one officer per shift with some overlapping coverage during the evening hours and on weekends.
Department leadership has always placed a high emphasis on employee development and has maintained compliance with California Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) requirements. A K-9 Unit, a traffic motorcycle, a D.U.I. enforcement unit and consideration of the full public safety (Police & Fire) concept, are examples of programs that have been explored over the years. The Department continues active community involvement with participation in planning and implementing a wide variety of community events in Hercules. The Department sponsors the Drug Resistance Awareness and Education Program (DARE) in the local schools, a local Police Explorer post, and periodic youth education forums and activities.
Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District
The Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District covers an area of 25 square miles, which includes the Town of Rodeo and the City of Hercules. The District maintains two stations, one in Rodeo and one in Hercules, which are staffed 24 hours per day.
Hercules, because of its location, provides some very unique surroundings for its citizens to enjoy and at the same time are of great concern to the Fire District for their inherent fire danger. The City is fortunate to have large wild land open spaces and neighborhood parks which are accessible to the general public. It is because these areas present a very real danger for wildfire that the Fire District, along with the City of Hercules, has implemented a very aggressive weed abatement program. Annually, the Fire District will contact those property owners whose lots, including backyards, need attention, and the City will cut fire breaks behind homes in those areas identified as potential problems. The Fire District will, if necessary, hire an independent contractor to abate those lots not attended to by the property owner and place a lien against the affected property for cost of abatement.
The purpose of these programs is to provide an edge for the Fire Department to combat wildfire and to increase the odds of survival for you and for your property in the event of a fire. All residents are responsible for their own yards and property.
FOR EMERGENCIES – POLICE – FIRE – MEDICAL: DIAL 911
Non-Emergency Dispatch Calls: 510-724-1111
Hercules Police Department: 510-799-8260
Rodeo-Hercules Fire District: 510-799-4561
