Chesterfield Police 2006 Annual Report

Uniform Operations Bureau

The Uniform Operations Bureau is divided geographically into north and south districts. The UOB commander and staff are housed at the police department in the county government complex on Iron Bridge Road. The north district is housed at the Midlothian District Station on Providence Road. The south district is housed at the Chester District Station located on Iron Bridge Road near the village of Chester. Personnel assigned to the bureau are responsible for patrolling their designated beats and, through the department's community-policing philosophy, prevent and deter crime. Uniformed officers also have the responsibility of enforcing all traffic laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and investigating all motor-vehicle crashes.

The bureau introduced new initiatives and expanded its traffic-safety program to reduce traffic deaths, injuries and alcohol or speed-related crashes. Supervisors and officers from both the Midlothian and Chester district stations established year-long strategic goals and enforcement operations to increase traffic-traffic safety awareness among motorists. The combined efforts resulted in a 42.9 percent decrease in speed-related traffic deaths, a 54.5 percent decrease in DUI traffic deaths, and an overall decrease in fatal crashes.

The Traffic Section and the Motorcycle Squad work together under the supervision of a sergeant. These officers vigorously enforce traffic laws throughout the county, as well as supervise special events. Team members strive to educate citizens about safe driving practices through national campaigns such as Smart, Safe and Sober, Click It or Ticket and Checkpoint Strikeforce.

The Community Policing Section embraces a proactive philosophy in which the police and the community partner to address quality-of-life issues and prevent crime. The emphasis is on partnership, problem solving and crime prevention. This approach requires our officers to focus on the problems in their beats and use available community assets to reach solutions. Often this involves county agencies other than the police department. Our efforts are most visible in eight locales within the county: Meadowbrook/Meadowdale, the Jeff Davis corridor, Bermuda Run/Tinsbury, Ettrick, Cloverleaf Mall, Rollingwood/Squire Hill, the eastern Midlothian Turnpike corridor and Chesterfield Towne Center. Officers assigned to these areas focus on the deepest underlying conditions that are amenable to intervention and coordinate efforts to eliminate factors that contribute to crime and disorder.

The Street Drug Enforcement Section targets street-level drug use and dealing. Unit members maintain a close working relationship with the Investigations Bureau.

The Aviation Section is a cooperative program involving Chesterfield and Henrico counties and the city of Richmond. The three localities contribute personnel, equipment and financial support to the unit. The unit responds to calls for service, such as photo requests, airborne surveillance of pursuits and investigations, and assists in arrests. It also conducts property checks, locates stolen property, locates missing persons and transports personnel throughout much of the country. They are also called upon to transport personnel and prisoners during the extradition of prisoners.

The K-9 Section provides officers with one of the best non-lethal aids in the prevention and detection of crime. Police dogs are trained by handlers to search buildings and areas for criminals, missing persons, narcotics and evidence. The dogs are capable of pursuing and apprehending criminals with a minimum amount of force.

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