COLUMBUS DIVISION OF POLICE – Established in 1816, the Columbus Division of Police has over 1,800 officers and 300 civilian employees. The Division covers 20 precincts across the greater Columbus metropolitan area, while serving nearly 800,000 residents.
Their primary focus is the safety of those they serve, while treating residents with respect, dignity, and fairness. The dedicated men and women of the Columbus Division of Police are continuously engaged in community outreach and making sure to put forth the best trained police force in the nation.
Division Highlights
As of the last recorded U.S. Census, the City of Columbus was the 15th most populous city in the United States, with a population of over 787,000, (not including metro area) making it the largest city in the state of Ohio. Columbus covers approximately 222 square miles, the majority of which lies in Franklin County, but the city also reaches into Fairfield and Delaware Counties. The Columbus Division of Police is a force of over 1,800+ sworn personnel and 350+ civilians, and falls within the top 25 largest police departments in the U.S.
Based on the Division’s last sworn Equal Opportunity Employer report, the composition of the Division is as follows: White 86.9%, Black 10.1%, Asian 1.2%, Indian .2%, Other/Hispanic 1.5%. The Division has 1,615 males (90%) and 186 females (10%); females account for 28 (9.2%) of the 304 supervisory positions. The Division is a large family, and many personnel are related either by marriage or birth.
- Accreditation: The Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) was created in 1979 as a means for law enforcement agencies to voluntarily commit to adhering to a body of international “best practice” law enforcement standards. Achieving accreditation by CALEA is an exhaustive procedure that requires continual evaluation of the agency’s policies and procedures as well as demonstration of compliance to the established standards.On July 31, 1999, the Columbus Division of Police (CPD) received its initial accreditation award from CALEA and has subsequently received reaccreditation every three years. This international recognition by CALEA is a testament to the professionalism and commitment of excellence by the Division and all of its employees. There are over 900 law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Barbados that are accredited or recognized by CALEA. The Columbus Division of Police is the largest municipal law enforcement agency in Ohio and the 5th largest municipal law enforcement agency in the United States and Canada to be accredited.The Columbus Division of Police is proud to have been selected to host the 2013 Summer CALEA conference July 28 – August 4, 2013.
- Canine Unit: The Columbus Police Canine Unit was established in the fall of 1992, with four police officers and a sergeant. In 1998 the unit was expended when Division of Police received a federal grant that enable the unit to add an additional four canine teams, which brought the unit to its current strength of nine canine teams. All the dogs within the Canine Unit are trained as dual purpose canines which mean they are trained in narcotics detection in addition to performing patrol techniques. Patrol duties include tracking, building, area, and evidence searching. Narcotic detection includes cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine. Since the unit’s inception in 1992, the Canine Unit has trained 28 canine teams for police service, with all but the current nine retired. These teams have assisted Patrol/Narcotics Units seizing over 109 million dollars in illicit narcotics, and over 15 million dollars of cash and assets. The unit has made 2,896 felony arrests during this period with less than a 2% bite to arrest ratio.The Columbus Police Canine Unit was recently featured in K-9 Cop Magazine (October/November 2010 issue), which highlighted the unit and the new canine facility built exclusively for the canine operational/administrative functions.Upon retirement of the canine, each handler has the option of retaining the canine as a family pet.
- Citizen’s Police Academy: In 1997 the Columbus Division of Police created the Citizen Police Academy, a free community education program intended to build relationships between program participants and the Columbus Division of Police. The program gives members of the community an inside look at the values, philosophies, and operations of the Division, while at the same time serving as an open forum for questions, discussion, and the exchange of ideas.Since the CPA first began, approximately 500 citizens have graduated from the Academy. Two CPA are conducted each year; one in the spring and one in the fall, and participants meet one evening a week for twelve weeks. Graduates of the CPA become ambassadors for the Division of Police and spread their knowledge of police operations with neighbors, community groups, and other associations. A well informed public enhances officers’ ability to keep our city safe.Most CPA graduates continue to show their support of the Division of Police by joining the Citizen’s Police Academy Alumni Association (CPAAA) whose mission is, “We serve the ones who serve.” The CPAAA supports police officers by providing food for officers working Red, White, and Boom, delivering fruit baskets to substations on Christmas Day, planting flowers and trees at substations as part of their “Adopt a Sub” program and by participating in other volunteer activities for the Division.More information about the Citizens Police Academy and the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association can be found at:
Link to CPA
https://www.columbus.gov/cpa/Link to CPAAA
http://www.cpaaa-columbus.org/
- Columbus Police Helicopter Unit: In 1972 the Columbus Police Helicopter Unit was created and immediately became an integral part of the Columbus Division of Police. Since the inception of the unit over 193,000 flight hours have been flown. Today, the unit averages 5000 flight hours per year with base flight operations of 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. The unit utilizes 6 single-engine turbine MD500E helicopters which are flown by 16 sworn officers and supervisors. The mission of the Helicopter Unit is direct support for ground patrol officers. The base mission, aircraft, flight hours, and personnel make the CPD Helicopter Unit one of the largest municipal law enforcement aviation units in the United States. The unit is critical in suspect searches, missing children and elderly, vehicular pursuits, and assistance through mutual aid to other law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Ohio. Air support for officers underlines the base principle of force multiplication which contributes to the safety of citizens and officers.In July of 2009 the unit moved its’ base operations to a state of the art heliport. The heliport is 29,906 square feet which includes two hangers that total over 20,000 square feet and an administrative complex of 9,056 square feet. The administrative complex includes a classroom, aviation library, flight operations center, fitness area and supervisory and conference rooms.Statistically the unit is directly responsible for annual averages of over 300 felony arrests, over 200 misdemeanor arrests, and is first on the scene of dispatched runs approximately 40% of the time with an average response time of 1.3 minutes.
- SWAT: The Columbus Division of Police SWAT team is one of only 15 full-time SWAT teams within the United States. The section was created in 1974 with the primary mission of addressing hostage and barricade situations. In addition to their primary mission, SWAT members also serve violent felony warrants, conduct robbery stakeouts, perform dignitary and witness protection as well as other high-risk operations. The section is currently staffed with 26 full-time SWAT officers and 10 part-time hostage negotiators who perform other police functions throughout the Division of Police when not actively involved in hostage negotiation duties. In 2009 SWAT responded to 32 hostage/barricades and in 2010 they handled 54 hostage/barricade incidents.The Columbus SWAT team prides itself on being the best SWAT team in the nation. To maintain this designation the SWAT section dedicates 20% – 25% of their time training. Because marksmanship is such a integral skill of SWAT team members, designated snipers train every week with their sniper weapons while all SWAT officers train bi-weekly with their assigned M-4 .223 machine guns.
- Chief James G. Jackson Columbus Police Academy: The Columbus Division of Police Training Bureau is committed to providing students with the finest law enforcement training available utilizing the most effective and efficient technologies in a modern, safe, and professional environment to establish superior institutional knowledge. The Training Bureau will employ the most up to date methodologies that are relevant and instructionally sound. Learn More…
DIVISION HISTORY
Interested in reading more about the Marshals, Superintendents of Police and Police Chiefs that have held office since 1816, when the borough of Columbus began its corporate existence? Learn more here…
POLICE MEMORIAL
To honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to the public… Listed here are the names of Columbus Police Officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to the public
Information courtesy of the Columbus Division of Police.