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"Badge One" is passed from retiring Ofc. Gary Miller (on right) to Ofc. Russ Huntley, March 2011. Patrol Division
The Plainville Police Patrol Division is the front line for providing our police service. It is the largest division within the department. The traditionally uniformed patrol officer has been, and continues to be, the most visible representative of our police department.
Consistent with our generalist approach to
policing, patrol officers must handle a wide range of police services
and are trained accordingly. Police officers assigned to the Patrol Division must respond to calls for service ranging from unlocking
car doors, quelling disturbances, investigating motor vehicle crashes, providing medical assistance, counseling troubled juveniles, to
investigating serious felonies alongside detectives. This short list
does not come close to covering the variety of police-related services
provided by our uniformed patrol officers.
Officers assigned to the Patrol Division interact with local residents in a proactive, community-policing approach to both crime prevention and apprehension. Our police cruisers are equipped with state of the art technology such as laptop computers, on-board digital cameras, lighting equipment, and a new marker plate reader, all designed to assist patrol officers in their efforts to maximize public safety.
Patrol officers are the first responders to all medical emergencies as they are often the first to the scene of such calls. Our police cruisers are equipped with life saving Automatic External Defibrillators (AED), and the patrol officers are trained in their use.
The Plainville Police Department has several patrol officers trained to patrol on bicycles. Their visible presence in the parks and in other congested areas of town helps provide a safer environment and allows these officers the opportunity to interact with citizens on a personal level. Recently, we have added a highly trained K-9 unit to further enhance the patrol function. The patrol officer assigned to this unit, along with the officer's four-legged "partner," patrol the community in a specially outfitted police cruiser.
We believe that traffic enforcement helps save lives and prevent serious injuries. To attain that goal, officers assigned to the Patrol Division routinely conduct laser speed checks on designated public roads. Patrol officers are trained to detect intoxicated drivers and strictly enforce the state's Driving Under the Influence laws. The results of our enforcement have for several years placed us at or near the top for drunk driving arrests in Connecticut. These efforts by our patrol officers have earned our police department several awards from the nationally recognized citizen group, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD).
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