PUBLIC SAFETY

Patrol Division

The backbone of any police organization is its Patrol Division.

The department handles over 60,000 calls for service each year, and the vast majority of those calls are handled initially by officers in the Patrol Division. 53 of the department’s 85 sworn officers are assigned to this division.

Patrol officers work 10-hour rotating shifts. Three lieutenants work rotating shifts and serve as watch commanders. We believe in the team concept and officers are assigned to one of six teams. The supervisor of each team is a sergeant. Teams working together day in and day out develop a closeness and familiarity with one another that enables them to more effectively handle emergencies and stressful situations. Members of the team are usually assigned to work a specific area of the city for long periods of time. This allows the officer to (1) become well acquainted with the area and the people living and working in it, and (2), it decreases arrival times when responding to calls.

Orem patrol vehicles are equipped with in-car computers and printers that allow officers to run records checks, print citations, and type routine reports in their car. Having access to the computer helps keep officers out in the community instead of at the station doing paperwork.

Nationally, it is recommended that a police department maintain a ratio of two officers for every 1000 residents to adequately provide services to their community. With a current population of 90,000, the Orem Department of Public Safety is able to provide our service at a ratio of less than one officer per 1000 residents. Much of the credit for the department’s ability to operate at these staffing levels goes the quality of citizens living and doing business in Orem, but the administrators, officers, and employees working for the department also deserve credit for the quality of their service and the professional way they provide it.