Patrol Division

Staffing

The Patrol Division is the largest unit in the Police Department with 42 officers and 6 sergeants assigned to 4 different shifts with one captain overseeing the division. The shifts overlap to provide extra officers during busy times of the day or night. Officers rotate shifts up to 3 times per year and rotate between 4 patrol sectors, daily, to keep familiar with all areas of the city.

The Patrol Division is the most visible to the public. Officers are trained to respond to a wide variety of emergency and non-emergency calls, conduct preliminary investigations, handle traffic accidents, enforce traffic laws and city ordinances and provide services to residents and businesses with the city. Patrol officers are ready to respond to any situation 24/7.

Equipment

The Patrol Division usually operates in marked patrol cars. Each vehicle is equipped with a radar unit to monitor traffic speed while the squad car is moving or parked. Squad cars are also equipped with first aid equipment, Our officers are first-aid trained, carry Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) that can provide life-saving intervention for heart attack victims, fire extinguishers, medical oxygen, and crime scene equipment. All patrol cars are equipped with a notebook computer which enables officers to receive calls, perform checks on persons, property, and car registrations. This computer can send messages car to car, or car to dispatcher which cannot be monitored by the public. A recent addition is TicketWriter software in which citations are printed in the car via a computer program that downloads the ticket information back to police records and directly into the court system.