Patrol

The Uniformed Division of the Waterford Police Department is the Patrol Division, making up the core of the department.  These men and women are the first responders to calls for service, and comprise the largest division of the Waterford Police Department.
They handle all emergencies as well as routine non-emergency calls for service, and provide a wide range of other services to the Town of Waterford. These services include criminal investigations, traffic enforcement (radar and laser), assisting motorists, first aid, community policing, and educational programs. The educational programs include the Challenge program in our schools, as well as the TRIAD program for seniors. Officers possess specialized training necessary to investigate all cases of criminal and motor vehicle incidents.

All officers are certified by the Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POSTC) Academy Training and maintain their certification through law enforcement certification training as per State of Connecticut requirements and departmental policy. Many officers have several years of college credits with a majority of the officers having Associate and/or Bachelor degrees in Criminal Justice or related fields. Several Officers and administrators have received their Masters degrees. Officers also attend in service training classes in specialized areas of investigations.

The Patrol Division has highly trained officers to investigate serious motor vehicle accidents including fatalities. This group of officers comprises the Accident Investigation Team and is called out when necessary to any serious accident. These Officers have completed additional training in the field of accident investigation and reconstruction.
Several Officers and Supervisors are also certified in the use of less-lethal equipment such as TASERS, Bean Bag Shotguns and Pepper ball guns. These tools are used when possible to avoid injuries to both the officer and the suspects.
All certified sworn police officers must be recertified every 3 years, which requires additional training of at least 60 hours of in-service type schools and programs in areas of criminal law, firearms, sexual abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, court procedures, driving simulators and accident investigation.

The Patrol Division is made up of twenty-eight Patrolmen, six Sergeants, three Lieutenants, and two K-9 units.