The mission of the Patrol Division is to improve the quality of life in the Ithaca community while working within the framework of the United States Constitution, New York State laws, and local Ithaca city codes. Officers assigned to the Patrol Division are proactive in their approach to helping serve the Ithaca community and work hard to ensure public safety is not compromised. You will find officers that are active in their assigned sectors; getting to know employees, business owners, and developing working relationships with the people in their sector neighborhoods. The Patrol Division responds to more than 20,000 calls for service each year.
The Patrol Division is the largest and most visible division of the Police Department. It has 3 platoons:
- B-Line 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.
- C-Line 3 p.m. - 11 p.m.
- A-Line 11 p.m. - 7 a.m.
Each platoon consist of 1 Lieutenant, 2 Sergeants, and 12 officers. The patrol officers are currently assigned to permanent shifts with rotating days off. The city is divided into 4 sectors and 2 walking posts. Officers cover their respective sectors and posts using cars, bicycles, and foot patrol.
Bicycle Unit
The Patrol Division also features a Bicycle Unit which began in the spring of 1991 with officers Al Cruise (now with the Seattle Police Department) and Scott Salino (now with the Cornell University Police Department). These 2 officers were the driving force behind the inception of our Bicycle Unit. Officer Cruise and Officer Salino patrolled on bicycle whenever the weather permitted, which was more than you might think given our geographical location. Within several years of its inception the number of officers certified to patrol on bicycle has grown significantly for IPD. To show the level of professionalism and commitment that our bicycle officers possess, they are now involved in training new bicycle officers and are one of a few Bicycle Units certified by the State of New York to actually train other bicycle officers in the finer points of bicycle patrol.
Patrol Vehicles
Patrol officers drive a wide variety of specialized police vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with state of the art equipment including in-car computers, traffic enforcement equipment, License Plate Readers, in-car printers, and infrared cameras. Officers now have the ability to complete virtually all of their paperwork from inside their patrol vehicle, truly making them a mobile office.
