Patrol
The Patrol Division is the largest, most visible and recognizable unit of the police department. It operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Patrol officers are generally the first responders to citizen complaints and calls for service from the public. They provide proactive police patrols, enforce state laws, local ordinances and traffic laws and perform initial investigations into offenses.
Rather than the more traditional three shifts that many agencies have working patrol, our patrol officers are divided into four teams which work rotating 12 hour shifts. This schedule only requires officers to work 14 of every 28 days and allows for a full week and two weekends off every four weeks. Each team is commanded by a Lieutenant and staffed with 2 Sergeants and seven patrol officers.
To assist with their responsibilities and allow them to operate more efficiently, they are equipped with some of the latest law enforcement technology. Each patrol vehicle has a laptop computer with wireless access to the department computer aided dispatch system, other department computer databases as well as the state and federal law enforcement databases. These computers also provide car-to-car messaging capability, report writing capability, automatic vehicle location technology and in-vehicle mapping.
The mobile computer software allows officers to run license tag and other computer checks in which the computer provides a verbal response. This keeps the officer from having to look down at the screen to read the responses while driving. This software also allows for traffic citations to be computer generated using the data returned from the state motor vehicle and driver computer files and printed much quicker than when written by hand. What's more they are all readable and the data is electronically uploaded to the police department and municipal court databases.
Each officer is equipped with body worn camera. In addition, each vehicle is also equipped with an in-car video camera, radar or laser speed detection equipment, an Alco-Sensor for DUI field sobriety testing, a digital camera and an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
Two patrol vehicles are equipped with Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR). These units have multiple cameras mounted on the exterior of the vehicle which are capable of reading over 1000 tags per minute and comparing the tags with millions of Hot List records to identify vehicles of interest. The list generally contains the tag numbers of stolen vehicles, vehicles wanted in connection with a crime, uninsured vehicles, etc.
Rather than the more traditional three shifts that many agencies have working patrol, our patrol officers are divided into four teams which work rotating 12 hour shifts. This schedule only requires officers to work 14 of every 28 days and allows for a full week and two weekends off every four weeks. Each team is commanded by a Lieutenant and staffed with 2 Sergeants and seven patrol officers.
To assist with their responsibilities and allow them to operate more efficiently, they are equipped with some of the latest law enforcement technology. Each patrol vehicle has a laptop computer with wireless access to the department computer aided dispatch system, other department computer databases as well as the state and federal law enforcement databases. These computers also provide car-to-car messaging capability, report writing capability, automatic vehicle location technology and in-vehicle mapping.
The mobile computer software allows officers to run license tag and other computer checks in which the computer provides a verbal response. This keeps the officer from having to look down at the screen to read the responses while driving. This software also allows for traffic citations to be computer generated using the data returned from the state motor vehicle and driver computer files and printed much quicker than when written by hand. What's more they are all readable and the data is electronically uploaded to the police department and municipal court databases.
Each officer is equipped with body worn camera. In addition, each vehicle is also equipped with an in-car video camera, radar or laser speed detection equipment, an Alco-Sensor for DUI field sobriety testing, a digital camera and an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
Two patrol vehicles are equipped with Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR). These units have multiple cameras mounted on the exterior of the vehicle which are capable of reading over 1000 tags per minute and comparing the tags with millions of Hot List records to identify vehicles of interest. The list generally contains the tag numbers of stolen vehicles, vehicles wanted in connection with a crime, uninsured vehicles, etc.