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ORGANIZATION
The Oroville Police Department has three divisions: Operations,
Communication, and Support.
Operations Division
The Operations Division is the largest of the two divisions within
the Oroville Police Department organization with its primary function
being patrol services. The patrol unit is made up of four (4) Sergeants
and thirteen (13) Officers. This unit operates 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. The patrol officers are responsible for all general law
enforcement duties within the City of Oroville, including the protection
of lives and property and the investigation of crimes.
The Oroville Police Department subscribes to the Community Oriented
Policing philosophy. To this end, officers have been assigned a designated
service area in addition to their regular patrol duties. There are
seven areas of the city, which have been identified as "core crime"
areas. Two officers are assigned to each area with one being the
primary and the other secondary. The primary officer acts as a liaison
between the particular neighborhood and the police department. These
officers are available to attend neighborhood watch meetings and are
encouraged to take innovative, pro-active approaches toward improving
the quality of life within the neighborhood.
Support Division
The Oroville Police Department Support Division consists of Records,
Administrative Services, Investigations, School Resource Officer, Volunteers,
Evidence, Property, Traffic, Parking Enforcement, Juvenile Services,
Crime Prevention/Education and Special Details under the supervision
of a Police Sergeant. As the name implies, the Support Division's main
objective is to support the Operations Division.
One Records Technician who is responsible for maintaining all reports
generated by the department currently staffs the Records section of the
Oroville Police Department. The Records section provides copies of
reports as dictated by the Public Information Act, fingerprinting for
the public and maintaining the registry for drug and sex offenders
residing within the City of Oroville.
Administrative Services consists of two Executive Assistants. One is
assigned to the office of the Chief of Police and the other is assigned
to Investigations. Payroll, accounts payable, subpoena service, maintenance
of training records and purchase of supplies are just some of the duties
these two individuals carry out.
Currently, there is one School Resource Officer assigned to the campuses
of Oroville and Prospect High Schools. This officer works directly with
school staff to assist in providing a safe environment for students and
acts as a liaison between the schools and police department. Additionally,
the School Resource Officer assists with special details related to juvenile
crime within the City of Oroville.
Communications Unit
The Oroville Police Department currently has 6 full-time dispatcher
positions along with 1 dispatcher supervisor position. Dispatchers are
responsible for answering all incoming calls to the police department
and all 911 calls dialed from inside the city limits. Additionally these
professional, public safety dispatchers direct police officers to calls
for service as well as support them with information and communication
during their shifts. Currently there is at least one public safety
dispatcher assigned to each ten-hour shift. Just like police officers,
police dispatchers work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
During 2002, the Oroville Police Department communication center answered
approximately 26,299 calls for service from citizens and police officers;
approximately 7,878 of these calls were made using the 911 system. 4,901
report numbers were issued in 2002. In between phone and radio calls,
dispatchers entered approximately 643 arrest warrants, 910 pawned property
slips, 1,405 traffic citations, and 164 restraining orders into local
and state computer data bases.
ASSIGNMENTS
Traffic Officer
One officer currently staffs the traffic unit with funds provided through
a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety. This officer
investigates traffic related offenses and enforces traffic laws. The
goal of the traffic unit is to enhance traffic safety in the City of
Oroville.
Investigations
Three investigator positions staff the Investigations section of the
Support Division. One of which is assigned to the Butte Interagency
Narcotics Task Force (BINTF). The other two investigators assigned
to this section conduct follow-up investigations in major crimes against
persons and property. Currently the Department only has one detective
assigned to carry out these duties.
School Resource Officer
The School Resource Officer, or SRO, is a key component of the Oroville
Police Department's multi-pronged/multi-discipline approach to community
policing. The Oroville Police Department's "Community Justice" model is
designed to repair harm, reduce risk, and build community. The SRO, in
conjunction with school and community partners is responsible for education,
prevention, and enforcement and is tasked with many duties and responsibilities
including:
• Drug Prevention
• Intelligence Gathering
• Conflict Mediation
• Mentoring Activities
• School Violence
• Behavior Problems
• Gang Mediation
• Traffic Issues
• Truancy
• Enforcement of Laws
• Problem Solving
• After School Activities
• Community Concerns
Some of the goals of the SRO program are promoting positive relationships
between law enforcement, schools, community organizations, students and
community; providing parent education opportunities that will enhance
parent/child relationships that are supported by schools and community;
and to maintain and enhance a comprehensive "at risk" student intervention
system that includes law enforcement partners.
Students and school staff report feeling safer at school than they did
in the past. The School Resource Officer and project partners are
succeeding in providing a safe school environment at Oroville High School,
Prospect High School, and the surrounding residential and business
communities.
Community Service Officers
Supporting the Patrol and Traffic units are two Community Service Officers.
Evidence, parking enforcement, abandoned vehicle abatement, property
control and crime education/prevention duties are currently carried
out by these two Community Services Officers. These officers also
investigate traffic collisions and respond to calls for service that
generally do not involve criminal activity.
Bicycle Patrol
Although the Oroville Police Department is not afforded the luxury of
having a dedicated bicycle patrol unit, the department was able to
acquire two electric bicycles to aid officers in their enforcement
and community-oriented efforts. The bicycles have proven very useful
during community events such as parades and street fairs. The bicycles
allow officers to not only move quickly and efficiently through a crowd
but this vehicle also aids in officers being more approachable and
accessible to the children of our community.
K9 Unit
The Oroville Police Department has historically been supportive of
utilizing canines in a law enforcement role. This continues today.
Sgt. Brad Allen utilizes his canine Tori to ferret out controlled
substances. Tori is certified in locating the odors of marijuana,
methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and opium. The use of Tori has
led to the discovery to a number of well hidden controlled substances,
cash associated with these drugs, as well as the arrests of several
individuals. Additionally, Tori has served as an important ambassador
to the children of our community in the attempt to educate and deter
them from becoming involved with controlled substances.
Field Training Officer
Charged with the important task of training and providing direction
of the department's newest Police Officers is the responsibility of
the Field Training Officer. These Field Training Officers are selected
from among the department's seasoned staff. During a field training
program these Training Officers demonstrate, instruct, and evaluate
a new recruit in the practical and legal considerations of being a
safe, ethical, and community responsible Police Officer for the City
of Oroville.
Crime Scene Investigator
Efficient crime scene investigation is critical in providing necessary
evidence for determining and documenting what happened at the scene
when the crime occurred, recovery of property, along with the apprehension,
prosecution and conviction of those responsible for committing crimes.
The Oroville Police Department utilizes specially trained officers at
major crime scenes to identify evidence, document, and collect/preserve
the evidence. These officers are trained in crime scene photography,
crime scene diagramming, fingerprinting, safe collection/preservation
of all types of evidence including potentially hazardous material
(solid, liquid and gas), and the analysis of the placement, condition,
and relationship of various types of evidence. The specialized forensic
training and equipment used by the Oroville Police Department's C.S.I.
officers often provides the key clues necessary for solving serious
crimes in our community.
C.V.S.A.
Computer Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA) has been in existence for over
15 years and has become the overwhelming choice of thousands of law
enforcement for truth verification. Many tests and studies have concluded
that CVSA is 100% accurate in detecting deception. In the Aviation
Transportation Security Act of 2001, Congress had authorized the use
of the Computer Voice Stress Analysis in all airport pre-employment
screenings.
The Oroville Police Department has utilized the Computer Voice Stress
Analysis (CVSA) since 2000. Similar to that of the Polygraph, the main
purpose of the CVSA is to detect deception. The Oroville Police Department
utilizes CVSA in both the investigation unit and patrol unit with their
criminal investigations and as a pre-employment background screening tool.
Officer Jake Thao and Officer John Jones are the CVSA operators at
Oroville Police Department.
Special Enforcement Team (S.E.T.)
As a liason with the community, Special Service Officers coordinateand implement
programs within their area. Recently, the Oroville Police Department initiated the
Special Enforcment Team.
The Oroville Police Department has established an elite team consisting of two
officers and known as the Special Enforcement Team or S.E.T. The team's mission
is to decrease drugs and drug related crime in the Downtown area. To date, this
elite team has made over 300 arrests involving drugs, burglary, theft, graffiti,
trespassing, forgery, the passing of stolen checks, assaults, stolen vehicles,
possession of deadly weapons, and much more.
The effectiveness of the team in part counts on your involvement in reporting
suspected criminal activity. Help us target those responsible for our crime
problems.
If you have a concern, we have a solution. For further information call Detective
Jason Barkley at 538-2448 today.
(V.I.P.S.)
The VIPS program provides support and resources for the citizens of Oroville who
are interested in developing or enhancing a volunteer program. The Oroville Police
Department is grateful for citizens who wish to volunteer their time and skills
with the Oroville Police Department. The programs ultimate goal is to enhance
the capacity of law enforcement to utilize volunteers.
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