The Patrol Division provides the foundation for all law enforcement efforts of the Roswell Police Department. The dedicated and highly motivated men and women assigned to the division perform the most visible and recognizable functions of the police department. 

 

In an effort to provide efficient service to the citizens of Roswell, the city is divided into six different patrol zones. During a ten-hour tour of duty, an officer is assigned to one of the districts to patrol. Officers may also be assigned to high impact “Ranger” units who function as rovers responding to priority calls anywhere in the city.

 

In answering calls for service and patrolling the 29 square miles of the City of Roswell, the patrol Officer’s primary duty is to conduct preliminary investigations, maintain order within the community through the enforcement of state and local laws and to conduct preventative patrols while developing positive community relations. 

The Patrol Division is the largest division in the department with a total of fifty four sworn officers assigned. Officers work one of three shifts; days, swings or midnights.  Each shift is supervised by two Patrol Sergeants and a Patrol Captain or Patrol Commander. Overtime is abundant as are the opportunities to be assigned to special details.

Within the division there are opportunities for patrol officers to be assigned collateral duties as, School Resource Officers, Field Investigators, Field Training Officers or Traffic Enforcement Officers. There are also opportunities to serve with the Honor Guard.

All new and lateral officers are assigned to the Patrol Division where they must serve a minimum of two years before being eligible for transfer to specialized units.

Also assigned to the Patrol Division is an officer that is posted exclusively at the front desk of the police headquarters building. This officer’s primary duty is to handle certain complaints by telephone.  It also allows an officer to handle "walk-in" complaints and is open for bid by seniority and is not subject to the two year requirement.