Patrol Division

The Wadsworth Police Department patrol division is comprised of 18 full-time patrol officers, a patrol officer designated as a School Resource Officer (SRO) and 4 sergeants who supervise each of the three shifts. The patrol division is on duty 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

The Wadsworth Police Department is proud to have a motivated, strongly dedicated, and highly trained group of officers in its patrol division constantly working hard to keep the City of Wadsworth a safe and secure place to live and work.

Officers Duties & Skills

During the times when officers are not responding to calls for service, they are patrolling the city's 10 plus square miles of residential, commercial, and industrial areas mixing preventative patrol with traffic enforcement and drug interdiction.

Every officer is broadly skilled in handling a wide array of incidents including investigating criminal cases and traffic accidents, processing crime scenes, and serving arrest warrants. Before performing unsupervised patrol duties, all new Wadsworth patrol officers complete a state certified 19 week police academy and at least a 14 week training program with a Wadsworth field training officer. Additional annual training requirements for all officers consist of dozens of hours in numerous subject areas involving firearms, self-defense, legal instruction, crisis response training, and other tactical and safety related topics.

Officers also have the opportunity to volunteer for additional duties and responsibilities including departmental trainer in various specialties, including firearms, Taser, special tactics, baton, and self-defense. Other opportunities include field training officer for new officers, SWAT, and community policing. 

Equipment & Technology

Each patrol vehicle is equipped with the current police technology to assist officers in performing their duties efficiently and safely. Some of this equipment includes a mobile data terminal (MDT) with wireless modem, video camera, radar unit, and vehicle pursuit termination devices (aka "Stop Sticks").

Officers have the capability to access local, state and national information databases on their MDT and can easily and quickly check for wanted persons and stolen vehicles. Recent technological advances have enabled officers to access driver's license photos for identification purposes and to communicate with other WPD officers and other departments via instant messaging.

Feedback

We always appreciate any constructive concerns or compliments from our Wadsworth community members about our department. Please feel free to contact us if you can offer any suggestions on how to keep our department running smoothly.