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Patrol Operations
The Richmond Police Department Bicycle Patrol Unit is a specialized unit within the Patrol Division. This unit has many different functions and focuses its attention on problem areas within the city. The officers in the unit have a very high level of interaction with the general public and focus much of their energy on community relations.
The Bicycle Patrol Unit focuses on being a visible deterrent to crime and approachable to the public as a source of information and assistance. The officers patrol in all areas of the city and concentrate their efforts in areas that generate a high volume of calls for police service. The bikes are lightweight, agile, stealthy, and can be mobile in many places and terrains where a patrol car cannot. The Bike Patrol officers work varying hours and work closely with all other divisions of the police department in an effort to bring the department closer to the public.
The Richmond Police Department Canine Unit serves the citizens and law enforcement officers of Richmond and the surrounding community. The goal of the Canine Unit is to make police work safer and more efficient for the men and women who patrol the streets through the use of specially trained canines and handlers.
Both the handler and the canine members of the Canine Unit are carefully selected and trained for their duties. The selection of handlers for the Canine Unit involves an extensive, multi-faceted assessment and selection process that includes a physical ability stamina test, home visit/inspection/interview, job performance/records review, and oral board interview.
The Canine Unit is composed of one team. A Canine Team consists of a Handler and their respective Canine. The Canine Unit is assigned to the Patrol Division and provides canine support services to all Divisions of the Police Department.
Canine services are available at all hours of the day, every day of the week.
Training
The Canine Unit currently consists of a Drug Detection and Patrol Dog team.
Our multi-purpose Canine is trained to locate marijuana, hashish, cocaine base (crack), cocaine hydrochloride (powder), methamphetamines, ecstasy, and heroin. Our Canines is also utilized to track persons, search buildings for persons, search areas for persons, search for articles, provide handler protection, and apprehend criminals when the situation is serious enough and no other means of apprehending the suspect are available. The Canine Unit is available to search for lost or missing persons and children as well. Our canine team is also assigned to the Emergency Response Unit for tactical and high-risk situations.
The competency of all canine teams are maintained in the areas described above and is tested regularly. The canines undergo a certification process once a year and also partake in weekly maintenance training.
Demonstrations
The Canine Unit is active in the community, not only by attempting to make the community a safer place but also in the area of public demonstrations. The unit provides demonstrations year-round to school groups, both public and private, as well as to civic organizations throughout the Bluegrass area. During these demonstrations, drug searches are conducted, as well as basic obedience exercises, article searches, agility tests, and simulated criminal apprehension, where our bad guy actor, wearing protective gear, is stopped by the canine.
Forums
The Richmond Police Department will be conducting a series of community crime prevention forums in the city to address the recent rash of thefts and burglaries. Citizens are encouraged to attend to learn how they can better protect themselves and their property and assist the police in making their community safer.
Contact
If you are interested in having the Richmond Police Canine Unit provide a public demonstration or if you have any questions about the Canine Unit, please email Officer Chip Gray at 859-623-1162.
The Motorcycle Unit participates in special events, parades, funeral escorts, accident investigations, and traffic enforcement. The unit has two Harley Davidson motorcycles that are outfitted with the latest police equipment, including headsets for hands-free operation of the radio.
Past members of the Motorcycle Unit have attended specialized training in police motorcycle operations from the Lexington Police Department. Due to current staffing shortages, the motorcycle unit performs in an ad hoc fashion based on need.
The Patrol Division is the largest section within the department. Patrol officers are the first responders to the vast majority of calls and are responsible for conducting preliminary criminal investigations, securing and processing crime scenes, conducting accident investigations, enforcing traffic laws, and handling various emergency calls for service.
The patrol division consists of three shifts that provide service to the citizens of Richmond 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Units within the Patrol Division include:
- Accident Reconstruction
- Basic Officer Field Training
- Canine Unit
- Motorcycle Unit
- Richmond Parks Security
- Traffic Safety Officers
- Uniform Patrol