Raleigh Police Department
Badge of the Raleigh Police Department
Badge of the Raleigh Police Department
AbbreviationRPD
Agency overview
Employees906
Annual budget$112 million (2021)[1]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionRaleigh, North Carolina, USA
Map of Raleigh City Limits
Size145 square miles [2]
Population470,509 (2018)
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersRaleigh, North Carolina
Officers802[3]
Civilians104[3]
Agency executive
  • Estella Patterson[4], Chief
Divisions5
Facilities
Districts6
Notables
Award
Website
Raleigh Police website

The Raleigh Police Department is the municipal law enforcement agency of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Overview

The Raleigh Police Department is a full service police department, serving all areas in the city limits of Raleigh, and some properties which are owned by the City and situated outside the city limits (such as Lake Wheeler Park). Though RPD has jurisdiction at all locations inside the city limits and all properties owned by the City, other agencies sometimes take on first responder responsibilities at certain locations. For example, NC State University Campus Police respond initially to any emergency police calls on the campus of North Carolina State University, even though the main campus is located in the Raleigh city limits. Some law enforcement support tasks are outsourced to other agencies in the county. Crime scene processing is handled by City/County Bureau of Identification, and the county jail is operated by the Wake County Sheriff's Office.

Organization

The Raleigh Police Department is organized into five divisions:

  • The Chief's Office contains Internal Affairs, Inspections, the Police Attorney, and support staff.
  • Field Operations is the backbone of the department, as most of the officers responding to 911 calls report to the Field Operations Division. The Division is commanded by a Major.
  • Special Operations houses many specialty units, such as K-9, Animal Control, Selective Enforcement Unit, and Gang Suppression Unit, among others.
  • Investigative Division is responsible for investigating most of the crimes that require follow up after the initial officer response.
  • Administrative Division contains personnel that support the rest of the department, such as Records, Quartermaster, Information Technology, and the Police Service Center, who maintains the fleet of police vehicles.

District Information

District Name Station Location District Size
Northwest 8016 Glenwood Avenue 33 sq mi
North (Headquarters) 6716 Six Forks Road 28 sq mi
Northeast 5230 Greens Dairy Rd 26 sq mi
Southeast 1601 Cross Link Road 27 sq mi
Downtown 218 West Cabarrus Street 5 sq mi
Southwest 601 Hutton Street 21 sq mi

[5]

Rank structure

Title Insignia Notes
Chief of Police
The Chief of Police is in charge of the Department and reports to the City Manager
Deputy Chief
Deputy to the Chief of Police.

As of 2023, there are two Deputy Chiefs.

Major
Each Division is commanded by a Major.
Captain
In the Field Operations Division, each District is commanded by a captain. There are also captains assigned to other Divisions within the department.
Lieutenant
Lieutenants act as deputy commanders of each District, and are also assigned to the other Divisions of the department.
Sergeant
Generally, each district has 8 sergeants (2 per squad) assigned to Field Operations. A sergeant supervises a team of officers. At least one sergeant also supervises each specialized unit throughout the department.
Detective
An officer may apply to be promoted to detective.
Senior Officer
Most officers with 6 years of service to the Raleigh Police Department are eligible to be advanced to Senior Officer. This is not considered a promotion, and no test is required.
Master Officer Most officers with 4 years of service at RPD, or similar experience at another police agency, are eligible to test for the Master Officer classification. This is not considered a promotion.
First Class Officer
Most officers with 2 years of service at RPD, or similar experience at another police agency, are eligible to test for the First Class Officer classification. This is not considered a promotion.
Officer This title is given to new officers upon being sworn in. It is also regularly used to refer to any First Class, Master, or Senior Officer.
Recruit

[6][4]

Officers that become Officer First Class, Master Officer, and Senior Officer wear patches on each arm similar to Sergeants.

Vehicles

All marked Raleigh Police Department vehicles are a distinct blue and white, though unmarked vehicles are also used. The standard patrol vehicle is the Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility, while many officers within Special Operations units utilize the Chevrolet Tahoes, upfitted for police work. The Departments Motor Unit utilizes BMW R1200RT-P motorcycles for traffic enforcement. Several other vehicles, including bicycles, ATV's, Segways, horses, and others are also fielded by the department. The Raleigh Police Department does not currently have aviation or marine units. Most marked vehicles are outfitted with some or all of the latest in police technology such as Mobile Computer Terminals (MCTs) with internet connectivity, LoJack receivers, Digital Video Recording, 800 MHz radios, GPS, and other technologies.

Equipment

The Patrol Officers standard duty belt includes:

  • Smith & Wesson or Peerless handcuffs, either chain or hinged
  • Sabre Red Oleoresin Capsicum (OC Spray) 2,000,000 SHU "Pepper" Spray
  • Asp Friction-Loc 21" steel expandable baton
  • Streamlight Strion rechargeable LED Flashlight
  • Motorola APX Series Radio
  • SIG Sauer P320 X Series 9mm, replaced the Smith & Wesson M&P chambered in .45 ACP
  • Taser X2 Electronic Control Device (Issued to selected Officers once they complete the required training/exposure)
  • Patrol Officers may also carry a long gun which can be either a Smith & Wesson M&P15, AR-15 Platform, chambered in .223/5.56, equipped with a Surefire M500A Weaponlight, or a Remington 870 Police Magnum 12-Gauge shotgun also equipped with a Surefire light.

Raleigh also has three full-time Selective Enforcement Unit (SEU) Teams, which is Raleigh's equivalent of a SWAT Team. Officers assigned to SEU carry a wide variety of specialized equipment and weaponry including the M4 Carbine, Heckler and Koch MP5, and UMP-45. Additional specialized units within the department often field other items and pieces of equipment specific to the task which they are designated to perform.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sullivan, Carl; Baranauckas, Carla (June 26, 2020). "Here's how much money goes to police departments in largest cities across the U.S." USA Today. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020.
  2. ↑ Raleigh Demographics
  3. 1 2 Raleigh Police Chief's Office
  4. 1 2 "New Raleigh police chief vows to help officers, bring city together". WRAL. August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  5. ↑ Raleigh Police Districts
  6. ↑ "Police".
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