Baton Rouge Police Department

Baton Rouge Police Department
Abbreviation BRPD

BRPD patch

Badge of the Baton Rouge Police Department
Agency overview
Formed 1865
Annual budget $84.3 million
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction* City of Baton Rouge in the state of Louisiana, USA
Map of Baton Rouge Police Department's jurisdiction.
Size 79.1 sq mi (205 km2).
Population 227,071
General nature
Operational structure
Police Officers 645
Unsworn members 267
Agency executive Carl Dabadie, Jr as of February 26, 2013, Chief of Police
Facilities
Districts 4
Website
https://web.archive.org/web/20150209114309/http://brgov.com/dept/brpd/
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The Baton Rouge Police Department, or BRPD, is the primary law enforcement agency in the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The current Chief of Police, as of February 26, 2013, is Carl Dabadie, Jr. Carl Dabadie was preceded by former Chiefs Jeff LeDuff, Donald D. White, Pat Englade, and Greg Phares. The city is divided into four police districts.

According to the BRPD's website, "The mission of the Baton Rouge Police Department is to serve with the Baton Rouge community to prevent crime and to promote the safety and well-being of all."[1]

The Baton Rouge Police Department has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) since 1996.[2]

History

Baton Rouge was incorporated in 1817 and the Baton Rouge Police Department was formally established in 1865, just after the end of the Civil War, with the appointment of the first Chief of Police.

Currently the Baton Rouge Police Department receives about 215,000 service calls. In an average year, city police officers:

In 2005, due to elevated population levels as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, many of these numbers were significantly higher.[3]

Bureaus and command staff

The BRPD is divided into four bureaus:

Uniform Patrol Bureau

Uniform Patrol is the largest bureau of the department, and is the primary point of contact for services to the public. The Bureau operates four precinct stations and satellite offices throughout the city. Officers assigned to this bureau perform preventative patrols and respond to public requests for assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Uniform Patrol Bureau consist of the following divisions:

Uniform Patrol Division

Uniform Patrol Division is responsible for patrolling all areas of the city, responding to calls from citizens, conducting preliminary investigations of all crimes, and enforcing both criminal and traffic laws. The Uniform Patrol Division is divided into four (4) geographical patrol sections or districts.

First District Precinct

The First District Precinct is located at 4545 Plank Road and serves what is traditionally known as North Baton Rouge. The area patrolled is roughly bordered on the north and east by Evangeline and Airline Highway, on the west by the Mississippi River and Scenic Highway and on the south by Florida Boulevard.

Second District Precinct

The Second District Precinct is located at 2265 Highland Road and serves what is traditionally known as South Baton Rouge. The area patrolled is roughly bordered on the north by Florida Boulevard, on the west by the Mississippi River, on the south by Bayou Fountain, and on the east by Bluebonnet Highway, Essen Lane, Jefferson Highway, and Lobdell Avenue.

Third District Precinct

The Third District is located at 9000 Airline Highway, and serves the eastern part of the city. The area patrolled is roughly bordered on the north by Greenwell Springs Road and the South Choctaw Drive Extension (railroad tracks), on the west by Airline Highway and Lobdell Avenue, on the east by North Stevendale Road, Lively Bayou, O'Neal Lane, Jones Creek Road, and Stumberg Lane, and on the south by Airline Highway and Jefferson Highway.

Fourth District Precinct

The Fourth District Precinct is located at 8227 Scenic Highway and serves the extreme northern part of the city, including the area traditionally known as Scotlandville. The area patrolled is roughly bordered on the north by Blount Road and Thomas Road, on the west by the Mississippi River, on the east by Buttonwood Drive, McClelland Drive, and Plank Road, and on the south by Evangeline and Airline Highway.

Traffic Division

The Traffic Division is responsible for parking control, radar speed enforcement, motorcycle escort duty, and assisting the uniform patrol division in selective traffic enforcement and accident investigation, as required, as well as special assignments at the discretion of the Chief of Police. The traffic division carries out its mission with the following sections:

Motorcycle Section

The Motorcycle Section concentrates on traffic enforcement and accident investigation, as well as escorts and other specialized assignments at the discretion of the Chief of Police.

Radar Units

Radar Units are responsible for enforcement of speeding laws, serve as accident investigators during inclement weather and are periodically assigned to special events.

DWI Task Force

The DWI Task Force patrols after dark, enforcing laws relating to impaired drivers under the influence of either alcohol or drugs.

Bicycle Patrols

Bicycle Patrols are utilized for concentrated, more personalized protection of contained areas, such as malls, shopping centers, or areas of high-density pedestrian traffic. Bicycle Patrol officers are also assigned to the Downtown Development District to enforce parking ordinances, contact business owners and residents to check for problems and devise solutions to those problems.

Traffic Homicide Unit

The Traffic Homicide Unit investigates all traffic crashes involving death or life-threatening injuries and fleet crashes as directed by the Chief of Police.

School Crossing Guards
School Crossing Guards are civilians used to supplement police protection of children walking to and from schools during the regular school year.
Reserve Officers
Reserve Officers are civilians who undergo necessary training to become police officers and who donate their time as police officers to supplement existing manpower, especially during special events.
Hit and Run Division

The Hit and Run Division is responsible for the follow-up investigation of hit and run and incomplete accidents as reported by field officers.

Support Services Units

The Support Services Units perform functions that supplement the uniform patrol division.

Housing Authority Unit

The Housing Authority Unit coordinates all security at public housing complexes, working closely with management and residents to enforce laws, resolve problems and provide a safe environment.

Building Security
Building Security coordinates protection for the East Baton Rouge Parish Governmental Building and its employees.
Misdemeanor Investigation Office
The Misdemeanor Investigation Office is responsible for conducting follow-up investigations of misdemeanor crimes.
K-9 Unit

The K-9 Unit is used for building searches, crowd control, tracking fleeing suspects, or searches for missing persons, or any other missions which could more effectively or more safely be carried out by trained Police dogs than by police officers.

In 2007, the American Kennel Club awarded the K-9 Division with its 2007 Law Enforcement Award for Canine Excellence due to the units work in the year following Hurricane Katrina.

Crime Analysis Section
The Crime Analysis Section collects data generated by uniform officers and reports to the bureau commander with respect to manpower allocation and directed patrol initiatives.

Criminal Investigations Bureau

Criminal Investigations offers some limited first-line response to the public, but is primarily responsible for follow-up investigations of major crimes. Divisions within the Criminal Investigations Bureau include:

Crimes Against Persons

Crimes Against Persons include the following divisions:

Homicide Division
is responsible for investigating all criminal calls where a death or life-threatening injury has occurred, any officer involved shooting or the attempted murder of a police officer.
Armed Robbery Division
is responsible for investigating all criminal calls involving all degrees of robbery.
Juvenile and Sex Crimes Division
is responsible for maintaining juvenile investigation records, cases of child abuse, and all types of sex crimes.
Major Assaults Division
is responsible for investigating a wide range of non-life-threatening felony personal crimes and missing person cases.
Computer Crimes Division
investigates crimes committed against persons or computer systems using the Internet, e-mail or other electronic means.

Property Crimes

Property Crimes includes the following divisions:

Burglary Division
is responsible for coordinating all follow-up investigations of burglaries, as well as the recovery of stolen property from local pawn shops.
Auto Theft/Impound Division
is responsible for conducting follow-up investigations of auto thefts and unauthorized use of movables. The unit also coordinates all records and information relating to vehicles stored and impounded by the Department and monitoring local towing services to insure compliance with applicable standards and ordinances.
Forgery Division: is responsible for investigating all crimes involving thefts by fraudulent use of access cards, and forgeries of negotiable documents.
Felony Theft Unit
is responsible for all felony theft investigations that do not fall under the Auto Theft, Burglary or Forgery Divisions. The office is also responsible for felony damage to property cases. Priority is placed on business embezzlement incidents.

Investigative Support

Investigative Support includes the following divisions:

Evidence Division
is responsible for the collection, storage, cataloguing, and disposition of all evidence and property seized by, or turned in to, the department.
Crime Scene Division
is responsible for assisting in investigations by taking photographs, sketching major crime scenes, collecting and tagging evidence, and performing various scientific tests on suspects and/or evidence as needed.
Crime Stoppers Office
coordinates all facets of the Crime Stoppers program with local news media, businesses, and the public.

Administration Bureau

Administration is the Chief’s staff bureau, concerned with the overall management of the department’s operations and internal controls. Most offices are housed downtown at Police Headquarters located at 9000 Airline Highway. Divisions and Positions within Administration:

Legal Advisor
acts as an advisor to the Chief of Police and his staff on department matters, to ensure conformity with existing laws and court decisions.
Office of Media Relations
acts as a liaison between the department and members of the working news media.
Fleet Management Division
is responsible for all aspects of assigning and maintaining the fleet of vehicles owned and operated by the department.
Internal Affairs Division
conducts investigations and maintains records on all complaints of wrongdoing lodged against members.
Accounting and Personnel Office
handles all accounts receivable and payable and prepares the department’s annual budget, as well as all personnel records and actions.
Operational Management
is responsible for providing a wide range of services to the Chief of Police and the department, such as coordinating all research; writing, reviewing and distributing policies and procedures; securing state and federal grant funds; coordinating travel of officers on department business; conducting research on products and equipment; exchanging information with other police agencies regarding operations; inventory control and supply; and accreditation.
Staff Inspections Office
is responsible for conducting daily inspections of all divisions of the department.
Health and Safety
analyzes conditions that may affect an officer’s performance or result in loss of work time.
Community Resources
is responsible for establishing liaison with formal community organizations and other community groups.
D.A.R.E
places police officers in elementary school classrooms to act as anti-drug abuse instructors.
Extra Duty Office
coordinates and tracks all off-duty employment of police officers.
Intelligence Division
gathers information on both real and potential threats to the public peace and assimilates and reports such information to the Chief of Police.
Explosives and Hazardous Materials UNIT
is responsible for on-scene and follow-up investigations of hazardous materials spills or fires, explosions, or crimes involving incendiary devices of all types.

Special Response Team, (SRT)

SRT consists of a full-time unit and part-time unit which is composed of officers who are on-call. Their mission is to respond to emergency operations, such as hostage situations, and to provide dignitary and VIP protection. Members of the team competed in the 2008 World SWAT Challenge and finished 5th overall, while also capturing the “Rookie Team Championship” title.

Operational Services Bureau

Operational Services is the most diverse bureau of the department, providing numerous and varied support functions, including serving as the repository for all criminal and traffic records. Divisions within this Bureau:

Alarm Enforcement Section
is responsible for licensing, regulating, maintaining statistics, and collecting fees from alarm users in the city and parish.
Licensing Section
is responsible for issuing licenses and maintaining records on all persons and businesses licensed by the Chief of Police.
Subpoena Services and Court Liaison Section
is responsible for serving subpoenas and other court documents to department personnel, and for maintaining liaisons with area courts.
Bicycle Registration Division
is responsible for registering and licensing all bicycles sold and ridden in the city, as well as enforcing applicable bicycle traffic ordinances. This division is also responsible for storage and disposition of all abandoned, recovered and seized bicycles.
Training Services Unit
is responsible for the recruitment and training of all prospective and newly hired officers, and the in-service training and re-certification of existing personnel in all aspects of law enforcement as well as the maintenance of records relating to such training. The firearms training section is responsible for all training of potential, newly hired, and existing personnel in the area of firearms safety and proficiency. The recruiting section is responsible for interviewing prospective employees, conducting all necessary background checks and tests, and providing lists of qualified and recommended candidates for employment as officers.
Criminal Records Section
maintains a centralized record system of all criminal offense reports prepared by officers of the department, arrest reports, fingerprint cards, and all necessary files and systems for criminal information storage, retrieval, archiving, and disposition.
Traffic Records Section
is responsible for the maintenance of a central traffic records system, providing report production, a public counter service facility, and a system for traffic information storage, retrieval and disposition.
Latent Print Section
operates as an identification unit, analyzing, comparing, cataloguing and classifying submitted fingerprints.
Crime Information Unit
is responsible for operating the National Crime Information Center computer and teletype system, receiving and distributing advisories from other agencies, and inputting information originating with this department, for dissemination to other interested agencies.
Crime Statistics and Research Unit
manages the FBI uniform crime reports and provides statistically oriented data to other divisions and outside agencies.
Communications Division
is responsible for proper routing of all telephone calls to the department. This division receives and processes all requests for police services. Communications personnel also dispatch, via radio, the appropriate police units to investigate and assist as needed.
Technological Support Unit
is responsible for operating, maintaining, and updating all computer systems used by the department.

Rank structure

Rank Insignia
Chief
Deputy Chief of Police
Major
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Corporal
Police Officer First Class
Police Officer
Trainee

The Chief of Police is appointed by, and reports to, the Mayor. The Chief is assisted by a Deputy Chief; who is a Colonel. This post has replaced Chief of Staff. All other police positions are promotional and based on seniority, as mandated by state civil service law.[1]

Fallen officers

Since 1911, the Baton Rouge Police Department has lost eighteen officers in line of duty deaths.[4]

Officer Date of Death Details
J.B. Hare[5]
Thursday, November 16, 1911
 Gunfire
Joseph Marino[6]
Tuesday, September 18, 1923
 Gunfire
Frank E. Schoonmaker[7]
Saturday, October 24, 1931
 Gunfire
George W. Bannister[8]
Thursday, March 3, 1966
 Gunfire
J.D. Blackwell[9]
Sunday, February 4, 1968
 Automobile accident
Thomas R. Fancher[10]
Tuesday, September 10, 1968
 Motorcycle accident
Dennis R. Heap[11]
Thursday, June 1, 1972
 Motorcycle accident
Karl F. Bourgoyne[12]
Thursday, July 14, 1977
 Motorcycle accident
Linda A. Lawrence[13]
Monday, August 1, 1977
 Gunfire
Carl Robert D’Abadie[14]
Friday, April 6, 1984
 Motorcycle accident
Charles David Stegall[15]
Tuesday, June 14, 1988
 Vehicular assault
Warren Joseph Broussard[16]
Tuesday, June 21, 1988
 Gunfire
Betty Dunn Smothers[17]
Thursday, January 7, 1993
 Gunfire
Vickie Salassi Wax[18]
Saturday, May 22, 2004
 Gunfire
Terry Lee Melancon Jr.[19]
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
 Gunfire
Christopher Michael Metternich[20]
Monday, August 14, 2006
 Motorcycle Accident
Mark Beck[21]
Monday, February 25, 2008
 Automobile accident
Matthew Gerald[22]
Sunday, July 17, 2016
 Gunfire
Montrell Jackson[23]
Sunday, July 17, 2016
 Gunfire

See also

References

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