Police Department

Courtesy: We will conduct ourselves in a manner that promotes mutual respect with the community and our peers.

Pride: We are committed to conducting ourselves in a manner that brings honor to ourselves, our department, and the community we serve.

The Police Department consists of the following divisions:

Chief's Office: Provides direction and leadership to all members of the Department, ensuring that integrity and high standards in all areas of service are maintained; plans for the future to ensure the delivery of the highest-quality law enforcement services to all citizens.

Administrative Services Division: Provides administrative support to the Chief's Office and to other divisions. Directs the supervision of the Fiscal Management Unit that prepares the annual budget and monitors all expenditures, procurements, and contracts for the Department. Oversees the Permits Unit, the Office of Emergency Management, and the Public Information Office and Open Records. Also handles the Department's Balanced Scorecard, planning/research and legal issues.

Criminal Investigations Division: Responsible for the investigation of criminal activity in Gwinnett County. The Criminal Investigations Section provides follow up investigations for both crimes against persons and property. The Section is also responsible Crime Scene Investigations. The Special Investigations Section investigates drug and vice complaints, as well as providing crime analysis services.

Personnel Services Division: Administers human resource and payroll functions; oversees the Office of Professional Standards, including Recruiting, Backgrounds, and Internal Affairs. Also oversees the Accreditation Unit, the Inspections Unit and the Training Section that operates the Police Academy and develops and administers training programs for all personnel.

Support Operations Division: Consists of the Communications Section, including E-911 and CAD, Records/GCIC Section, Animal Welfare and Enforcement Section, Property/Evidence Unit, and the Lobby Officers/Teleserve Unit. These units serve all of Gwinnett County including calls from the 14 incorporated areas within the county. Manages and maintains the Department's fleet of vehicles and equipment, plans and oversees capital projects and maintains 11 facilities.

Uniform Division: Provides uniformed police service throughout Gwinnett County; consists of over 500 uniformed sworn officers; displays a positive police presence in the County manning five precincts and the Special Operations Section. The Division is also responsible for the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team as well as the Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit.

The Police Department as a whole provides the following services:

• Law enforcement services for all residents of Gwinnett County
• Emergency services (police, fire, ambulance) dispatched through the Enhanced 911/Computer-aided Dispatch System
• Telecommunications support for the Police Department
• Radio communication support for all County departments on the new 800 mhz digital radio system
• Monitoring of state and County radio traffic, coordination of contacts, and use of Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computer systems
• Public education, including research, development, and implementation of safety and security programs for citizens of all ages
• Investigative and support services offered through specialized units such as the Quality of Life Operations Section, Office of Emergency Management, Aviation Unit, Crime Scene Investigations, Crime Prevention Unit, Special Investigation Section, and Crime Analysis Unit
• Response to critical incidents involving hostage-takers, barricaded gunmen, and other high-risk situations offered by the Special Weapons and Tactics Team. The Explosives Ordinance Disposal Unit provides render-safe response to located explosives and suspected explosives devices
• Management of the Gwinnett County Police Academy (one of four departmental academies in the State of Georgia)
• Enforcement of the County animal control ordinance

2010 Authorized Strength: 1,066

Operating Budget: 2010 Budget Appropriations:
General Fund: $ 85,469,747
E-911: $ 14,550,299
Special Investigation: $ 1,291,212

• Enhance community support through customer service
• Reduce UCR Part 1 Violent and Property Crime Rates
• Improve perception of community safety
• Strengthen police role in community life
• Optimize business processes
• Improve County communication
• Develop collaborative solutions
• Reduce fleet accident/incident rate
• Enhance awareness of off-duty patrol of CID non-reimbursed costs
• Improve personnel resourcing
• Develop employees to their full potential
• Promote health and well-being of employees
• Foster positive employee climate

Meet the Demand of a Growing Population, while Operating with Limited Resources: The increase in Gwinnett County's population continues to exceed the ability of government agencies to provide services as they have been provided in the past. This increase results in the need to develop creative ways of responding to calls for police services. In particular, calls must be prioritized as never before with personnel resources being allocated to meet emergency demands immediately and non-emergency demands or requests by alternative methods. The Police Department has in place a method whereby non-emergency routine calls can be handled over the phone by trained police officers and civilian teleserve officers. The computer-aided dispatch system also enables the incoming calls to be prioritized according to seriousness of each call. Other methods include increased efforts in crime prevention plans and methods as well as increased community involvement.

Increase Recruitment of Minority Officers: In an effort to maintain a workforce that is representative of the County's population, there is a need to recruit various minorities to the Department. The Background Investigation Unit, in conjunction with the Human Resources Department, will continue to develop methods to identify, attract, and employ qualified individuals. The increased employment of minority applicants will enhance the quality of services delivered to minority population groups throughout the county.

Meet the Service Needs Among Minority Populations: Gwinnett County continues to experience growth in its Hispanic, Asian, and other ethnic and minority populations. The presence of these citizens, who have cultural differences and often do not speak English as their primary language, results in the need to establish ways of providing services that are responsive to the sometimes unique needs of these groups. The employment of minority applicants will enhance the quality of services delivered to minority population groups throughout the county.

Respond to Increases in Vehicular Traffic Volume: The expanding infrastructure of the County impacts the services provided by police. Increasing the number and size of roadways impacts traffic flow and volume, the number of vehicular accidents, and emergency response time. General population growth increases calls for service, which affects the ability of the current staff to function in an efficient and effective manner. The department's objective is to prepare for these impacts by projecting future needs and expanding alternative service methods.