Police Patrol Officer
Patrol officers are assigned a "beat" - a geographical area of the city which is their responsibility during their working hours. Patrol officers are highly visible and easily recognizable to provide a sense of safety in the general population, and to instill a sense of apprehension in the criminal population. Patrol officers respond to immediate, dangerous calls for assistance from citizens, investigate crimes, and arrest those who commit crimes in their presence. They become knowledgeable enough about their beat to try to be in the right place at the right time to protect the public they serve.

The Operations Division
The Operations Division has a 24-hour commitment to the public. In response to the needs of the community and to address certain crime issues, the Operations Division is divided into a variety of sections/units.

• Patrol Section
  The Patrol Section is divided into teams of officers assigned to specific beats within the Village to respond to calls for service and provide a visible deterrent to crime. Each shift is supervised by a sergeant. 

• Police Reserves
  The Police Reserve Unit consists of men and women from a variety of professions who donate their time to be a part-time, sworn police officer who assists the full-time officers in their assigned duties. Reserve officers find their contribution to law enforcement exciting and rewarding. Reserve officers go through the same selection process and training as a regular officer.

• Traffic Unit
  Since the invention of the automobile, many laws have been passed to keep them from running into one another. Traffic officers are charged with the responsibility of enforcing traffic laws, investigating traffic accidents, and hit-and-run accidents. The traffic unit responds to specific neighborhood complaints, conducts traffic surveys, and assists on patrol calls for service.

• Communications Services
  The Police Department has a 24 X 7 staffed dispatch center within the police department.  A  dispatcher is the first person a citizen telephoning the Police Department may reach. Dispatchers are responsible for gathering certain information from the citizen to determine what type of incident is being reported, prioritizing the request, assigning a patrol unit to respond, and relaying as much information as necessary to the officer by radio. Dispatchers must simultaneously answer telephone lines, operate the police radio, and enter/retrieve necessary information from computers.