The Prince William County Police Department (PWCPD) began operations on July 1, 1970. PWCPD is a full-service police department, which provides the full spectrum of police services to the entire county. It has been fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies

Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., is a credentialing authority , based in the United States, whose primary mission is to accredited public safety agencies, namely law enforcement agencies, training academies, communications centers, and campus public safety...

 (CALEA) since 1987. PWCPD is divided into two districts, the Eastern District and the Western District. The Eastern District Station is located in Woodbridge

Woodbridge, Virginia

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,941 people, 10,687 households, and 7,769 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,047.8 people per square mile . There were 11,026 housing units at an average density of 1,052.1/sq mi...

, and the Western District Station is located in Manassas

Manassas, Virginia

The City of Manassas is an independent city surrounded by Prince William County and the independent city of Manassas Park in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Its population was 37,821 as of 2010. Manassas also surrounds the county seat for Prince William County but that county...

.

The Prince William County Police Department has jurisdiction over all towns within the county, including Dumfries

Dumfries, Virginia

Dumfries is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,937 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dumfries is located at ....

, Occoquan

Occoquan, Virginia

Occoquan is a town in Prince William County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 759 at the 2000 census, but as of the census of 2010, there were 934 people residing in the town of Occoquan. The town is a suburb of Washington, D.C. and is adjacent to Woodbridge...

, Haymarket

Haymarket, Virginia

Haymarket is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 879 at the 2000 census, but the 2009 is 1,252. Haymarket is home to the Haymarket Senators of the Valley Baseball League...

, and Quantico

Quantico, Virginia

- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there are 561 people, 295 households, and 107 families living in the town. The population density is . There are 359 housing units at an average density of .-Racial composition:...

. However, these towns all have their own limited service police departments, and these town police departments use East OPS (Channel 2) on PWCPD radios when patrolling. Like the county police, they use Channel 1 for Records/Vehicle/Driver/Want-Warrants information while performing tasks such as traffic stops. Prince William County Police Department also has traffic enforcement jurisdiction over the independent city

Independent city

An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...

 of Manassas

Manassas, Virginia

The City of Manassas is an independent city surrounded by Prince William County and the independent city of Manassas Park in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Its population was 37,821 as of 2010. Manassas also surrounds the county seat for Prince William County but that county...

 through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Radio Communication

ADMIN, Records/Info County-wide.
EAST 1, East Patrol (Eastern District "Gar-Field" Station)
WEST 1, West Patrol (Western District "Manassas area" Station)
EAST 2, East Patrol Used between the approximate hours of 1800 and 0200 for the section of the Eastern District that includes Dale City and Lake Ridge.

There are numerous other 800 mhz. talk groups, used for specialized units or for major incidents and special events. Interoperability is robust, with most Northern Virginia

Northern Virginia

Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...

 jurisdictions (except the VSP analog system).

Chief of Police

The Chief of Police is the commanding officer of the Department and has the obligation to provide efficient and effective police service to the citizens of Prince William County. The Chief is responsible for the planning and direction of all Department activities, and is the final authority in all matters of policy, operations and discipline. Falling within the Office of the Chief are the Planning and Budget Office, the Public Information Office, the Internal Affairs Office, the Chaplain Program, the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) Team and the Citizen Police Academy Alumni.

• • The Planning and Budget Office manages the accreditation process, provides all computer services to the Department, and oversees its purchasing and payroll functions.
  • The Public Information Office coordinates news releases to the media concerning Department activities and criminal incidents, maintains the Department’s Web site, supervises the Crime Solvers Program and produces the Annual Report.
  • The Internal Affairs Office investigates allegations of misconduct by Department personnel and all use-of-force incidents.
  • The Chaplain Program assists police officers in making notifications to families, assists those families as needed, and also assists police officers as needed.
  • The CISD Team helps emergency services workers handle stress after critical incidents.
  • The Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association is an interactive organization linking police officers and the citizens they serve.

Administrative Division

The Administrative Division provides support services to the Operations Division and the Criminal Investigations Division. Falling within the Administrative Division are the Administrative Services Bureau, the Identification Bureau, the Personnel Bureau, the Criminal Justice Academy and Public Safety Communications (which is jointly administered by the Department of Fire & Rescue).

• • The Administrative Services Bureau handles all evidence and property coming into the possession of the Department, enforces the Taxicab Ordinance and the Solicitor/Peddlers Ordinance.
  • The Forensic Sciences Bureau provides fingerprint identification services, crime scene investigation services and photographic services; collects and processes evidence from crime scenes; participates in the Northern Virginia Regional Identification System (NOVARIS), as well as the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and LiveScan equipment.
  • The Personnel Bureau is responsible for the recruiting, processing and selection of applicants to the Department, coordination of police volunteers and the career development program, department physical examinations and supervision of the polygraph function.
  • The Criminal Justice Academy conducts all basic and in-service training for police officer candidates and police officers. It also coordinates all citizen training such as the Citizen Police Academy.
  • Public Safety Communications is responsible for all aspects of communication for public safety employees, including 9-1-1.

Operations Division

The Operations Division is responsible for maintaining police officers in constant operational readiness for immediate response to any call for service requiring police presence. Nearly two-thirds of the Department’s personnel are assigned to the Operations Division, which includes the Patrol Services Bureau, the Special Operations Bureau, Evening Operations, the Animal Control Bureau and the Crossing Guard Bureau.

• • The Patrol Services Bureau provides 24-hour patrol officer coverage throughout the County. Patrol officers are generally the first response to any type of police call for service and are prepared to respond to any emergency. The Bureau is divided into an Eastern District, a Western District and Evening Operations.
  • The Special Operations Bureau manages the activities of the Department’s specialized operational units which include the Mounted Patrol Unit, K-9 Unit, Traffic Safety Team, Search & Rescue Team, Crash Investigation Unit, Honor Guard, the SWAT Team
    SWAT
    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...
    
    , SCUBA Team, the Civil Disturbance Team, the Marine Unit and the Crime Prevention Unit.
  • The Animal Control Bureau enforces animal welfare laws, conducts animal education seminars, houses stray and unwanted animals in a clean and safe environment and coordinates the adoption of housed animals.
  • The Crossing Guard Bureau is responsible for traffic direction at school crossings and conducts parking enforcement.

Investigations Division

The Criminal Investigation Division investigates major criminal offenses and manages the Department’s juvenile education programs. Falling within the Criminal Investigations Division is the Vice and Narcotics Bureau, the Criminal Investigations Bureau and the Juvenile Bureau.

• • The Special Investigations Bureau investigates illicit drug activity in the County and participates in drug enforcement task forces at the local, state and federal levels.
  • The Criminal Investigations Bureau investigates major offenses such as burglary, robbery, rape, homicide, auto theft, aggravated assaults and domestic violence complaints.
  • The Juvenile Bureau investigates offenses committed against juveniles and manages the Be Aware Program and the School Resource Officer (SRO) Program.

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the Prince William County Police Department, 2 officers have died in the line of duty.

Officer	Date of Death	Details
Officer Paul Thomas White Jr.	Saturday, October 27, 1973	Automobile accident
Officer Philip Michael Pennington	Thursday, November 22, 1990	Gunfire

Police Department Facilities

Eastern District Station

15948 Donald Curtis Drive

Woodbridge, VA 22191

(703)792-7200

Western District Station

8900 Freedom Center Blvd.

Manassas, VA 20110

(703)792-6515

Criminal Justice Academy

13101 Public Safety Drive

Nokesville, VA 22123

(703)792-6599

Animal Control

14807 Dumfries Road

Manassas, VA 22111

(703)792-6465

See also

• List of law enforcement agencies in Virginia
• Prince William County Sheriff's Office

External links

• Prince William County Police Department official website
• Prince William County government official website