Durham Police Department (North Carolina)

The Durham Police Department is the municipal law enforcement agency of Durham, North Carolina.

Vision Statement

The Durham Police Department's Vision Statement: "To be a progressive law enforcement agency committed to reducing crime by providing the best quality of service, fostering public confidence and maintaining the highest standards of excellence as a community partner for positive change." ^[5]

Overview

The Durham Police Department is a full service police department, having primary responsibilities for law enforcement and investigation within the city limits of Durham, North Carolina. The department was established in 1869 to provide policing services to the residents of Durham and has undergone many changes in its structure and operations since. The most notable change occurred in the 1970, when the City of Durham combined both the Durham Police Department and the Durham Fire Department to create a joint public safety agency. The agency was soon split again in 1985 to form separate police and fire services.^[6]

Organization^[7]

The Durham Police Department is organized into four bureaus:

• The Office of the Chief contains the Professional Standards Division, Public Relations, Inspections, the Police Attorney, and support staff.
• Administrative Service Bureau provides many necessary functions to support and serve both police officers as well as citizens. It contains the Records Division, the Training Division, the Information Technology Division, the Community Services Division, and Crime Analysis, among others.
• Operations Bureau comprises Uniform Patrol, district specific investigations, crime prevention, and HEAT. This bureau is divided into two divisions: Northside Operations and Southside Operations. The city is further divided into five separate districts hosting their own Uniform Patrol, Crime Prevention, Investigations and HEAT. The Operations Bureau also houses the K-9 unit, Bicycle Unit, Traffic Services, and the Warrant Squad.
• Investigative Services Bureau contains the Special Operations Division, and specialized investigations such as Homicide, Domestic Violence, Fraud, and Forensic Services. The Special Operations Division is composed of the Selective Enforcement Team (SET), Major Crimes, Interdiction, and the Biological and Chemical Emergency Response Team.

District Information^[8]

Durham Police Department Headquarters

The Durham Police Department's headquarters is located at 505 West Chapel Hill Street. There are five district sub-stations located throughout the city.

Vehicles

Durham Police Crown Victoria

The Durham Police Department utilizes many different types of vehicles to accomplish its mission. The primary marked patrol vehicles of the Durham Police Department have been Ford Crown Victorias for almost two decades. Uniform Patrol has recently been phasing in Dodge Chargers and Chevrolet Caprices to replace the line officer's cars and Chevrolet Tahoes have been issued for supervisors. The Department also uses Chevrolet Impalas for various assignments not requiring marked vehicles. Downtown units use Trek bicycles and Polaris EFI 500 UTVs for patrolling nearby trails and special events downtown. The motor unit utilizes Harley-Davidson Electra Glide motorcycles.

The marked units are equipped with Mobile Computer Terminals (MCTs) with internet connectivity, LoJack receivers, Coban Digital Video Recording, Motorola 800 MHz radios, and GPS. The marked vehicles are also equipped with both red and blue overhead emergency lights. Having red lights is not common among many law enforcement agencies in North Carolina, but the red signifies the department's previous history as a public safety agency.

Equipment

The Durham Police Department issues each officer standard equipment. Certain additional equipment or accessories may also be carried, but are not issued by the department.

• Peerless handcuffs, hinged
• Freeze +P 2K3 defensive spray (OC/CS)
• ASP Friction-Loc 21" steel expandable baton
• Maglite rechargeable flashlight (3-Cell D size)
• Motorola XTS 5000 radio
• Smith & Wesson M&P45 pistol, 4" barrel
• Taser X26 and X2 Electronic Control Device
• Remington 870 Police Magnum (optional for carry)

The Durham Police Department's Selective Enforcement Team (SET) utilizes special weapons including M4 carbines, Heckler and Koch MP5s, various non-lethal chemical agents as well as special armor and protective equipment.

Patches and Uniforms

The Durham Police Department's Uniform Patrol wears navy blue uniform shirts and matching pants. The shirts have police patches on both shoulders. Officers utilize a gloss leather Sam Browne belt to carry equipment.

The current patch has been in service since 1985. It has a navy blue background with a red center and gold trim. The navy blue represents law enforcement while the red represents the department's history as a public safety agency. The center displays an eagle holding an olive branch and arrows which is reminiscent of the Great Seal of the United States. The center of the eagle has a gold shield and blue "D"-shape with the Rod of Asclepius over the top representing one of Durham's nicknames, "The City of Medicine".^[9]

Older patches include a round patch with tobacco leaves representing Durham's history as a major producer of tobacco products. The Public Safety era patch was used from around 1970 to 1985 while the Durham Police and Fire Department's merged.

Fallen officers^[10]

See also

• List of law enforcement agencies in North Carolina

References

External links

• Durham Police Department website