PATROL DIVISION

The Patrol Division is the largest unit within the Texarkana Police Department. The Patrol Division of the police department is responsible for the 24 hour-a-day task of responding to calls for service, preventing criminal activity, conducting preliminary criminal investigations, apprehending criminals, traffic enforcement, accident investigation and community interaction. Officers currently work 11 hour shifts with duty assignments on either Days or Nights. Each shift is supervised by two sergeants.

Texarkana patrol officers are assigned to geographical areas of responsibilities commonly referred to as beats. The Patrol Division has the following units:

Geographic Policing

Geographic Policing involves the assignment of public safety service providers to defined geographic areas or beats. This allows officers to build relationships with area residents and create partnerships with community organizations.These partnerships build trust between local communities and police and increase officer insight when addressing recurring problems or recognizing developing trends in the area. Officers are able to actively involve citizens in the problem-solving process.

Personnel Involvement

Geographic Policing requires a coordinated approach to problem solving by all ranks within the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department. All levels of personnel participate to ensure that daily, short-term, and long-term concerns are addressed. In addition to Department resources, the T.A.P.D. works with other city departments to resolve quality of life issues.

Individual Purposes

Officers responding to traditional emergency incidents use daily problem solving strategies in and around their beats. They work within the community to mobilize neighborhood watch groups, educate citizens about current crime trends, and seek out resources needed to achieve long-term solutions.

Shift sergeants are responsible for all beats within their districts during a shift. Sergeants are specifically responsible for all short-term and long-term strategic planning and problem solving issues that may arise in their individually assigned districts.

The platoon lieutenants coordinate division-wide problem solving within their areas of responsibility and help develop and maintain partnerships and resources across all the geo beats.

The Division Commander, with input from the lieutenants, prioritizes problems across all districts and beats for long-range planning and allocating available resources to solve them. This helps to ensure the most effective utilization and deployment of city resources.

For more information or should you have questions regarding the Texarkana Police Department’s Patrol Division, please call 903-798-3130.