Patrol

Captain Marc Strout, Uniform Patrol Commander

Patrol is the backbone of any contemporary police department. The Pittsfield Police Department’s Patrol Division is made up of the uniformed officers assigned to all three shifts, as well as Communications, Traffic Division, Animal Control, and Youth Services. Uniformed officers of the patrol division are assigned to “beats” or sectors during their shift and respond to all calls for service within their area.

Shifts

The Patrol Division is divided into three shifts:

Squad A: 8 AM to 4: 30 PM (Lieutenant Jacob Barbour, Shift Commander)

Squad B: 4 PM to 12:30 AM (Lieutenant JP Murphy, Shift Commander)

Squad C: 12 AM to 8:30 AM (Lieutenant James Roccabruna, Shift Commander)

Duties

Patrol officers and supervisors are the first responders to nearly all police related calls for service. Patrol officers respond to crimes in progress, past incidents, traffic crashes, medical calls and a wide range of other complaints. Patrol officers conduct initial investigations, perform follow-up interviews, track, locate and arrest wanted suspects.

Communications personnel receive all phone calls made to the Department’s dispatch center, collect necessary information from the callers, relay that information to officers, and research local and state information sources for additional information on the parties involved in the call.

Additional Duties

In addition to those “normal” duties performed by patrol personnel, officers also perform a wide range of other duties to enhance the patrol function. These include:

  • Bike Patrol
  • Command Vehicle Operation
  • K-9
  • Motorcycle Patrol
  • Off-road Motorcycle Patrol
  • Car Seat Safety Technician
  • Crime Prevention
  • Field Training and Evaluation Program
  • Gang Unit
  • Honor Guard

As the most visible and often encountered part of the police department, Patrol is truly the core of the Pittsfield Police Department. All officers start their career there and many choose to spend their entire career there…interacting with the community and responding to calls for service.