Abbreviation PWCPD Employees 854 | Formed July 1, 1970 Annual budget $95.7 million (FY17) | |
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Legal personality Governmental: Government agency Operations jurisdiction* County (US) of Prince William in the state of Virginia, USA |
The Prince William County Police Department (PWCPD) is a full-service police department, which provides the full spectrum of police services to the entire county. PWCPD began operations on July 1, 1970, and it has been fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) since 1987. PWCPD is divided into three districts, Eastern District, Central District and Western District.
Contents
- Radio communication
- Chief of Police
- Support Services Division
- Operations Division
- Investigations Division
- Fallen officers
- References
The Prince William County Police Department has primary jurisdiction in all towns within the county, including Dumfries, Occoquan, Haymarket, and Quantico. However, these towns all have their own limited service police departments, and these town police departments use East OPS (Channel 2) on PWCPD radios when patrolling. Like the county police, they use Channel 1 for Records/Vehicle/Driver/Want-Warrants information while performing tasks such as traffic stops. The County Police department also has limited enforcement jurisdiction in the independent city of Manassas through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Radio communication
ADMIN, Records/Info County-wide. EAST 1, East Patrol (Eastern District "Gar-Field" Station) WEST 1, West Patrol (Western District "Manassas area" Station) EAST 2, East Patrol Used between the approximate hours of 1800 and 0200 for the section of the Eastern District that includes Dale City and Lake Ridge.
There are numerous other 800 mHz. talk groups, used for specialized units or for major incidents and special events. Interoperability is robust, with most Northern Virginia jurisdictions (except the VSP analog system).
Chief of Police
The Chief of Police is the commanding officer of the Department and has the obligation to provide efficient and effective police service to the citizens of Prince William County. The Chief is responsible for the planning and direction of all Department activities, and is the final authority in all matters of policy, operations and discipline. Falling within the Office of the Chief are the Planning and Budget Office, the Public Information Office, the Internal Affairs Office, the Chaplain Program, the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) Team and the Citizen Police Academy Alumni.
Support Services Division
The Support Services Division provides support services to the Operations Division and the Criminal Investigations Division. Falling within the Support Services Division are the Administrative Services Bureau, the Identification Bureau, the Personnel Bureau, the Criminal Justice Academy and Public Safety Communications (which is jointly administered by the Department of Fire & Rescue).
Operations Division
The Operations Division is responsible for maintaining police officers in constant operational readiness for immediate response to any call for service requiring police presence. Nearly two-thirds of the Department’s personnel are assigned to the Operations Division, which includes the Patrol Services Bureau, the Special Operations Bureau, Evening Operations, the Animal Control Bureau and the Crossing Guard Bureau.
Investigations Division
The Criminal Investigation Division investigates major criminal offenses and manages the Department’s juvenile education programs. Falling within the Criminal Investigations Division is the Vice and Narcotics Bureau, the Criminal Investigations Bureau and the Juvenile Bureau.
Fallen officers
Since the establishment of the Prince William County Police Department, 4 officers have died in the line of duty.