Columbus Division of Police
Encyclopedia
The Columbus Division of Police is the main policing unit for the city of Columbus, Ohio
. It is composed of 20 precincts, and the Chief of Police
is Walter Distelzweig. Columbus is ranked the 8th most dangerous city in the United States
of the 15 cities with a population of 700,000 or more, according to the FBI-based Morgan-Quitno rankings. Special units of the Columbus Division of Police include a Helicopter Unit, Canine Unit, Mounted Unit
, Bicycle Patrol Teams, Marine Park Unit, PoliceNET Operations Unit, and a Computer Forensics Unit.
In 2003, there were 1,779 sworn police officers and 349 civilian staff. By 2006, the number rose to 1,822 sworn officers and 342 total civilian staff. The estimated total budget was $216,000,000 in 2005, which rose to $244,000,000 for 2007.
s, 60 bicycle
s, 11 boat
s, 8 horse
s, 9 canine
s, and 6 helicopter
s.
Current rankings are as follows: (As of May 2009)
, court assistance, police records and identification, community liaison, and maintenance of the Division’s canine and motor vehicle fleet.
models. Officers from the Strategic Response Bureau drive the Chevrolet Impala
and zone Lieutenants drive the Ford Expedition
. The Chevrolet Express
is used as a Paddywagon. Additionally, the department is testing a Dodge Charger
in its Freeway Patrol division.
Marked Vehicles can be identified by the numbered "license" plates. Two, three and four digit digit plates show the precinct number followed by the car number. Recently the CPD has begun transitioning to some four digit cruiser numbers to facilitate exceeding the 10 cars per precinct rule. 10 regular cars are assigned to any single precinct, so a plate bearing the number 55 is precinct-5 car-5; where plate 190 is precinct-19 car-10. Under the four digit car number car 1809 would be precinct 18 car 9. Vehicles outside the standard precinct structure, i.e. Freeway Patrol, and Motorcycle Patrol also follow this pattern, where their unit is given a unique "precinct" number. Marked vehicles with a four digit starting in "9" are "mid-watch" assignments with the same pattern for their respective precinct.
The letter "R" as a prefix to this system denotes a "relief car". Plate R-106 is used because the 10th precinct has a regular vehicle in maintenance or repair.
The letters "S" and "L" stand for Sergeant and Lieutenant and denote that vehicle assigned to that ranked officer assigned to the following numbered precinct or zone: S-12 is the Sergeant for precinct-12 and L-1 is the Lieutenant for Zone-1.
The letter "T" Denotes a "Training" vehicle and is assigned to the Police Academy
The letter "X" stands for eXtra. X-Cars are kept at the city fleet management facility and are available to officers for special duty.
In previous years, CPD utilized the Chevrolet Caprice, Plymouth Gran Fury and the Ford LTD II as cruisers.
Columbus Police are permitted to work "Special Duty" assignments, upon approval, while off duty. Special Duty assignments can include anything from closing highway lanes for short-term road construction, to directing traffic for events, escorting a funeral procession, or providing security for private businesses, such as banks or stores. Most special duty assignments are paid for by the organization requesting the officers presence. However, while on Special Duty, the officer works for the City of Columbus, regardless the posting, and can be called upon by On Duty personnel if needed.
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. It is composed of 20 precincts, and the Chief of Police
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
is Walter Distelzweig. Columbus is ranked the 8th most dangerous city in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
of the 15 cities with a population of 700,000 or more, according to the FBI-based Morgan-Quitno rankings. Special units of the Columbus Division of Police include a Helicopter Unit, Canine Unit, Mounted Unit
Mounted police
Mounted police are police who patrol on horseback or camelback. They continue to serve in remote areas and in metropolitan areas where their day-to-day function may be picturesque or ceremonial, but they are also employed in crowd control because of their mobile mass and height advantage and...
, Bicycle Patrol Teams, Marine Park Unit, PoliceNET Operations Unit, and a Computer Forensics Unit.
In 2003, there were 1,779 sworn police officers and 349 civilian staff. By 2006, the number rose to 1,822 sworn officers and 342 total civilian staff. The estimated total budget was $216,000,000 in 2005, which rose to $244,000,000 for 2007.
Structure
Columbus Police has a total of five subdivisions. The subdivisions include the Administrative, Investigative, Support Services, and two Patrol subdivisions, East and West. Each subdivision is commanded by a Deputy Chief. The nature of each task to be performed determines which subdivision has responsibility and authority. , the department has 484 marked patrol vehicles, 536 unmarked vehicles, 41 motorcycleMotorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s, 60 bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s, 11 boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
s, 8 horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s, 9 canine
Canidae
Canidae is the biological family of carnivorous and omnivorous mammals that includes wolves, foxes, jackals, coyotes, and domestic dogs. A member of this family is called a canid . The Canidae family is divided into two tribes: Canini and Vulpini...
s, and 6 helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s.
Current rankings are as follows: (As of May 2009)
| Chief of police Chief of police A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable... |
1 |  |
| Deputy Chief | 6 |  |
| Commander Commander Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval... |
18 |  |
| Lieutenant Lieutenant A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank... |
56 |  |
| Sergeant Sergeant Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent.... |
227 |  |
| Police Officer Police officer A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force... |
1,850 | |
Administrative Subdivision
The Administrative Subdivision currently commands a staff of 128 sworn and 86 civilian employees who conduct internal investigations, research and development, recruit and in-service training, inspections, legal matters, accreditation process, and business and personal administration. He also serves as the Division’s representative in labor-management concerns and as a liaison with City Hall.Investigative Subdivision
The investigative Subdivision's Deputy Chief Antone P. Lanata commands a staff of 388 sworn and 50 civilian employees who primarily conduct in-depth investigations of crimes that, due to their nature or complexity, cannot be investigated by uniformed officers. This includes, but is not limited to, cases involving felony crimes against persons and property; a multitude of investigations involving juvenile offenders or victims; and covert investigations involving narcotics, vice, and intelligence concerns.Support Services Subdivision
The Support Services Subdivision's Deputy Chief Gary Thatcher commands a staff of 197 sworn and 248 civilian employees. The Support Services Subdivision consists of a variety of specialized units that support the Division’s patrol and investigative activities. Among the services these units provide are communications and computer networks, helicopter air support, special weapons and tacticsSWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
, court assistance, police records and identification, community liaison, and maintenance of the Division’s canine and motor vehicle fleet.
Patrol North Subdivision
The Patrol North Subdivision's Deputy Chief Stephen Gammill commands 579 sworn and 17 civilian personnel. The subdivision is composed of zone 1 (North) zone 4 (North central), and the Traffic Bureau. The Traffic Bureau commander oversees the Mounted Unit, Freeway Patrol Units, Traffic Control Unit, and the Accident Investigation Unit. The Bureau is responsible for the freeways, downtown traffic, residential area traffic, and the investigation of hit-skip and fatal crashes.Patrol South Subdivision
The Patrol South Subdivision's Deputy Chief John M. Rockwell commands 448 sworn and three civilian employees. The subdivision is composed of zones 2 (Southeast), 3 (West), and 5 (Central). The subdivision's commander is Deputy Chief John M. Rockwell, and the three zones are divided into twelve precincts with officers working out of eight substations located throughout the eastern portion of the city.Marked vehicles
The Columbus Police standard marked patrol fleet consists largely of Crown Victoria Police InterceptorFord Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
Though the name has been officially in use since 1992, the 1978–1991 full-size LTDs and LTD Crown Victorias and 1992 updated body style used the "P72" production code designation for both fleet/taxi and police models, with the model itself being internally classified as S...
models. Officers from the Strategic Response Bureau drive the Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
and zone Lieutenants drive the Ford Expedition
Ford Expedition
The Ford Expedition is a full-size SUV built by the Ford Motor Company. Introduced in 1997 as a replacement to the Ford Bronco, it was previously slotted between the smaller Ford Explorer and the larger Ford Excursion, but as of the 2005 model year, it is Ford's largest and last truck-based,...
. The Chevrolet Express
Chevrolet Express
The Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana are full-size vans from General Motors. They replaced the Chevrolet Van and GMC Vandura in 1996. The Express and Savana currently hold 44.8% of the full-size van market in the United States, just behind rival Ford's E-Series...
is used as a Paddywagon. Additionally, the department is testing a Dodge Charger
Dodge Charger (LX)
The Dodge Charger LX is a rear-wheel drive four-door automobile introduced in February 2005. Built by Chrysler for its North American Dodge brand, the car was created to continue the Dodge Charger line, and replaced the Dodge Intrepid as Dodge's full-size sedan...
in its Freeway Patrol division.
The letter "R" as a prefix to this system denotes a "relief car". Plate R-106 is used because the 10th precinct has a regular vehicle in maintenance or repair.
The letters "S" and "L" stand for Sergeant and Lieutenant and denote that vehicle assigned to that ranked officer assigned to the following numbered precinct or zone: S-12 is the Sergeant for precinct-12 and L-1 is the Lieutenant for Zone-1.
The letter "T" Denotes a "Training" vehicle and is assigned to the Police Academy
The letter "X" stands for eXtra. X-Cars are kept at the city fleet management facility and are available to officers for special duty.
In previous years, CPD utilized the Chevrolet Caprice, Plymouth Gran Fury and the Ford LTD II as cruisers.
Special Duty
Some police duties that are required by law or requested by the general public fall outside the realm of normal, everyday procedures. For example, Ohio Law requires that only a Law Enforcement Officer may close a public road, or a lane thereof, without establishing a legal, marked detour(for road closure), or using concrete barriers (for lane restrictions only). In the event of a short-term construction project, a law enforcement officer must be on site to legally close the area to traffic.Columbus Police are permitted to work "Special Duty" assignments, upon approval, while off duty. Special Duty assignments can include anything from closing highway lanes for short-term road construction, to directing traffic for events, escorting a funeral procession, or providing security for private businesses, such as banks or stores. Most special duty assignments are paid for by the organization requesting the officers presence. However, while on Special Duty, the officer works for the City of Columbus, regardless the posting, and can be called upon by On Duty personnel if needed.