Police in America. Steven G. Brandl
including the technologies available. The local tax base may or may not be associated with the size of the department.
Table 3.1
Source: Brian A. Reaves, Local Police Departments, 2013: Equipment and Technology (Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2015).These figures represent the most current statistics available at the time of this writing.
The village of River Hills, Wisconsin, has a population of approximately 1,600 persons, and its police department has 11 sworn officers. The organization of the department is fairly typical for its size and is discussed here as an example of the structure of a very small department. It is organized into three patrol shifts and a support division. The department is led by a chief; sergeants are in command of each of the three patrol shifts. The sergeants report to the chief. A support staff (six clerks) are managed directly by the chief. In this jurisdiction, there are very few crimes (in 2017 there was one burglary and five thefts); investigations are conducted by patrol officers.
Figure 3.3 River Hills, Wisconsin, Police Department Organizational Chart
Source: Author created.
Figure 3.4 Watertown, Massachusetts, Police Department Organizational Chart16
Watertown, Massachusetts, is a suburb of Boston with a population of approximately 35,000. The Watertown Police Department has sixty-three sworn officers and thirteen civilians. These officers and civilian personnel work in various divisions within the department. The department is led by a chief and has two captains; one is responsible for managing the Bureau of Field Operations, and the other is responsible for the Bureau of Administrative Services. The Bureau of Field Operations oversees all things related directly to the patrol function of the department, including the patrol and traffic division. The Bureau of Administrative Services oversees the detective division and matters that relate to the internal functioning of the department, such as the operation of computer systems. Each division is led by a lieutenant. Internal affairs is directly under control of the chief of police.
Houston, Texas, has a population of approximately 2.3 million; it is the fourth-largest city in the country. The Houston Police Department has approximately 5,200 sworn officers. Due to the size of the city it serves, this department obviously looks quite different than the others discussed here. This is primarily because of the workload demands placed on the department and its corresponding size and specialization.
The Houston Police Department has a full staff with responsibilities that relate to the varied demands and workload of the agency. To provide for reasonable supervisory control, each functional unit of the department has its own supervisors and staff. Investigative and Special Operations and Field and Support Operations are the two sections of the department. Each of these sections is further divided by division (or “command”). Especially noteworthy is the specialization in criminal investigations and the units related to recruitment, training, and psychological services. Patrol is organized by geographic organization, with further divisions in each area, along with a patrol support division.
Figure 3.5 Houston, Texas, Police Department Organizational Chart17
Source: https://www.houstontx.gov/police/organization/index.htm.
Major Operating Units in Police Departments
Now that we have a basic understanding of variations in the organizational structure of police departments, we can turn our attention to a more detailed discussion of some of the most common operating units within departments.
Patrol
Virtually all but the smallest police departments have a designated patrol unit. Patrol officers have many responsibilities, but primary among them is responding to calls for service in the community. Typically, about 70% of officers are assigned to the patrol unit,18 but the proportion varies by the size of the department. Typically, a greater proportion of officers is assigned to the patrol unit in smaller departments than in larger ones. Almost all local departments use automobiles for patrol, including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), trucks, or vans.19 About 50% all local departments use foot patrol, around 33% use bicycle patrol, and about 15% use motorcycles.20 Smaller departments often only use automobiles for patrol.21 In larger departments, some patrol officers do not wear a uniform and are responsible for initiating activities such as pedestrian and vehicle stops, not responding to calls for service.
The patrol unit is generally staffed around the clock, although some larger departments may also staff homicide or other investigators twenty-four hours a day. Officers are assigned to shifts to provide continuous coverage over the course of the day. Different departments have different shift schedules; shifts are commonly eight hours, but some are ten hours. Uncommon but not unheard of are twelve-hour shifts. Some departments have different combinations of shift hours. Additional details about patrol shifts and shift work are provided in Chapter 6 and Chapter 10.
Traffic
Some larger police departments have a designated traffic unit that is responsible for traffic control, enforcement, and investigation. Police officers assigned to the traffic unit are usually deployed in squad cars and/or motorcycles. If a department does not have a traffic unit, traffic enforcement is the responsibility of officers who work in the patrol unit.
Criminal Investigation
Common among police departments is a criminal investigation unit, comprised of detectives and sometimes other police officers. Typically, about 15% of officers in a department are assigned to an investigations unit.22 Generally speaking and as illustrated in the organizational charts presented above, the larger the department, the more specialization there is among investigators in the types of crimes investigated. Patrol officers are traditionally responsible for responding to crime scenes and conducting preliminary (or initial) investigations, including collecting evidence and interviewing victims and witnesses. Then, if warranted, detectives conduct follow-up investigations. It is becoming more common in police departments today for patrol officers to be assigned greater responsibility for conducting follow-up investigations. As noted earlier, in the small department of River Hills, patrol officers have responsibility for all investigative activities. This is feasible because of the very small number of crimes in River Hills. Specialization is necessary in an agency such as the Houston Police Department that investigated nearly 10,000 robberies and 17,000 burglaries in 2017. Chapter 7 provides additional details about criminal investigations.
A department may have several other investigations-related units. For example, investigators and officers assigned to sensitive crimes units or special victims investigation units typically investigate sex-related crimes. Another type of investigations unit found in some departments focuses on gang-related criminal investigations. Narcotics and vice units are most often found in very large police departments. These investigators are responsible for using nontraditional investigative methods, such as sting operations, to combat drug sales, prostitution, illegal gambling, and other so-called victimless crimes.