Prince George's County Police Department

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Prince George's County Police Department
Established	1927
Jurisdiction	County
Sworn	1,420
Non-sworn	263
Stations	6
Police boats	1
Helicopters	2
Chief	Melvin High

The Prince George's County Police Department (PGPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Prince George's County, Maryland in the United States, servicing a population of over 850,000 residents and visitors within 498 square miles (1,290 km²) of jurisdiction.^[1]

1 History
2 Organization
3 PGPD cruisers
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

The Prince George's County Police Department was created in 1927 in response to the increasing population and crime the county was experiencing. Prior to 1931, the county was policed by the Prince George's County Sheriff's Office. When serious crimes were committed (e.g., murder, rape, etc.), detectives from the Baltimore City Police Department were borrowed.^[2]

[edit] Organization

The current police chief is Melvin High. As of 2008, the agency has an authorized strength of 1,420 sworn officers and 263 civilians. The agency is divided into six districts. Within each district, it is divided into two sectors. Within the sector, it is divided into individual beats.

District I (Hyattsville: Adam and Baker sector)
District II (Bowie: David and Edward sector)
District III (Palmer Park: George and Henry sector)
District IV (Oxon Hill: John and King sector)
District V (Clinton: Frank sector)
District VI (Beltsville: Charlie sector)

The County Police also has a Special Operations Division which is comprised of the following:^[3]

Tactical Section- includes the Emergency Services Team, EST (SWAT) and the Violent Crimes Unit (VCU) among others. The EST provides services for barricade/hostage situations and also provides executive protection as directed by authority. The VCU is responsible for the detection and prevention of violent crimes within the county.
Special Enforcement Section- includes the Canine Unit (K-9) and conflict negotiators.
Traffic Enforcement Section- includes Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Unit (CARU), the State Highway Safety Grant Coordinators, and the Motor Unit (motorcycles). The CARU team is summonsed when a fatal traffic collision has occurred.