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The Patrol Division of the Rehoboth Beach Police Department has the responsibility of preserving the peace, protecting life and property, and maintaining the balance between law and order and individual liberty, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. The Uniformed officers of the Patrol Division, true to its name, accomplish this by constant patrols of the City's streets by marked and unmarked cars, bicycle, and foot.
Officers of the Patrol Division spend much of their time on the lookout for criminal activity and potential disturbances, traffic violations and hazards, dangerous situations and conditions, and people in need of assistance. Patrol officers are the first to respond in the event of emergencies, disturbances, crimes, traffic problems or traffic crashes. Whenever possible they will handle the situation with whatever immediate action is appropriate, perform follow-up investigations or make referrals as necessary. The majority of incidents are handled from start to finish by the initially responding Patrol officers, however, the Patrol Division can call upon a variety of specialized resources within the Police Department when appropriate. Patrol officers also make full use of community resources to assist with their mission, and invest as much time as possible in maintaining the Department's most direct link with the public it serves.
VEHICLE PATROL
Officers assigned to vehicle patrol handle the majority of calls for police services, whether crimes or traffic crashes, and perform the lion's share of traffic control duties.
The Patrol Division utilizes a small fleet of vehicles to perform its functions. There are traditionally marked patrol cars which act to suppress unlawful activity as well as make it easier to locate a police officer when in need, and unmarked cars which provide a less obvious presence.
The marked police vehicles, including four wheel drive vehicles, perform the majority of patrol and routine traffic control duties. Patrol officers use them to cover as much of the City as possible responding quickly to calls for assistance, and constantly on the watch for conditions and activities requiring police action. You may see them driving through side streets and alleys at three in the morning, or monitoring traffic near the schools to protect the students coming in the morning or leaving in the afternoon. They are also seen responding with lights flashing and sirens wailing to reach traffic crashes and emergencies where seconds count.
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2000 Ford Police Interceptor |
1999 Dodge Durango |
The unmarked vehicles are used when high visibility is not required - or desired, particularly for surveillance or stake-out type situations, or to provide a better chance to apprehend criminals as they commit their crimes.
At present, the Patrol Division consists of four shifts. Each shift consists four officers to include a Sergeant, who acts as the shift commander. Shifts rotate through two shifts (7 a.m. until 7 p.m., and 7p.m., until 7 a.m.) to cover the entire twenty-four hour period.
BICYCLE PATROL
The Rehoboth Beach Police Department was the first Department in Sussex County to establish a Bicycle Enforcement Unit (BEU) in 1992. The unit is mainly used during the busy summer tourist season, and is manned by eight seasonal police officers, but full-time officers also can be seen riding bikes during the rest of the year. The purpose of the BEU is to make police officers more accessible to the public they serve. Once in operation, participating officers soon learned that patrolling busy city streets was easier and quicker on a bicycle than in the larger patrol vehicles. They also learned that citizens, particularly young people, established an easy rapport with them when they patrolled the city neighborhoods on bicycles.
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Seasonal Officers
Jeremy Clark and William Depwig |
FOOT PATROL
During the summer months twenty-four to thirty-two Seasonal Police Officers can be found almost any time of the day or night walking foot beats, particularly in the downtown area. These officers are able to keep a closer contact with the people and can get a good sense of what's happening in the community by getting to know the residents, business owners, and visitors on a more personal basis.
There are often situations where people don't want to "bother the police" about an ongoing problem with a phone call through a dispatcher, but would feel much more comfortable talking to a police officer in person. The foot patrol officer, just like the "cop on the beat" of old times, provides the opportunity to do just that.
Foot patrol is used to provide closer and more detailed coverage for specific "problem" locations when necessary, or during special events, such as the Fourth of July Celebration.
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Seasonal Foot
Officers, Smith, Depwig and Fannon |
What has a Patrol Officer Done for Your Lately?
Last Updated: November 10, 2006
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