Anne Arundel County Police Department

The Anne Arundel County Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency of Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The Department was created by an Act of the Maryland General Assembly in 1937, and consisted of a Chief of Police, three sergeants, and seventeen patrolmen. Current Chief of Police is James Teare. Currently the department is staffed by more than a 1,000 sworn and civilian members, including the chaplains, reserve officers. The Anne Arundel County Police Department is internationally accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies since July 30, 1994. The manager of the first successful accreditation process was Lieutenant David H.Robinette, who was appointed to manage the program by then Chief of Police Robert P. Russell.

Rank Structure

Colonel- Chief of Police Silver Eagle

Lieutenant Colonel- Deputy Chief of Police Silver Oak Leaf

Major- Gold Oak Leaf

Captain- Two Bars

Lieutenant- Executive Officer-Silver bar

Lieutenant- Gold bar

Sergeant- Three Chevrons

Corporal- Two Chevrons

Officer First Class -One Chevron

Officer- No Chevrons Slick Sleeve

Fleet

Anne Arundel County Police have a diverse fleet of marked and unmarked vehicles including the Ford Crown Victoria, Dodge Intrepid,
Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Impala and Chevrolet Lumina. Motorcycles are supplied by Harley Davidson. The color scheme on mark vehicles is of a two toned blue. The top half of vehicles are light blue and the bottom half are dark blue. This paint scheme t was used in the sixties and seventies before the color of vehicles were changed to the more visible white. The colors were eventually changed back to the two toned scheme in 2000. The majority of vehicles are outfitted with the Code 3 MX7000 lightbar with all-blue lenses. The department is currently testing different variations of LED type lightbars.

The agency also utilizes a number of different vehicle models for covert operations and traffic enforcement.

Facilities

The Anne Arundel County Police Department is divided into four police districts, Northern, Eastern, Western and Southern. The Northern District Station is located in Brooklyn Park, Eastern District in Pasadena, Western District in Odenton and Southern District in Edgewater. Additional facilities are the Police Department Headquarters in Millersville, the Special Operations Complex in Glen Burnie, the K-9 center in Severn, the Criminal Investigation Division in Crownsville and the Police Training Academy in Davidsonville. The agency also has several sub-stations at various locations through out the county.

Comunity Relations Section

The section provides community service-oriented support in the areas of crime prevention and community relations, provides a variety of educational and community-based recreational youth programs and oversees the department’s volunteer program and the Office of the Chaplain. The section serves as a direct liaison with community groups to foster a better working relationship between the department and the communities.

Crime Prevention Unit

Through its Crime Prevention Unit, the section provides support and subject matter expertise in the area of crime prevention and avoidance. It conducts crime avoidance surveys for businesses and residences, and oversees neighborhood watch programs. The Crime Prevention Unit also manages the department’s volunteer Reserve Officer program, the Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) program, and the Office of the Chaplain. The Office of the Chaplain provides counseling and spiritual support to Department employees.

Special Operations Division

The Special Operations Section includes the Quick Response Team (QRT), the K-9 Unit, the Traffic Safety Section and the Aviation Unit. The QRT and the K-9 Units provide tactical support for extraordinary police situations (i.e., hostages, barricade, terrorist), selective patrol and narcotics operations, and provide dignitary protection. The Aviation Unit provides aerial tactical support of ground units including traffic enforcement, aerial observation and pursuit, missing persons, search and rescue, tactical patrol operations, and extraordinary police incidents. The Aviation Unit maintains three helicopters, one Bell 407 and two OH-58 surplus army helicopters, that are flown by officers who are certified pilots.

Communications

Anne Arundel County operates an 800 MHz trunked radio system for all county police, fire and DPW communications. Broadcasts are currently analog with conversion to digital communications planned in the near future as new towers are constructed.

Weapons

Officers are currently issued the Sig Sauer 229 .40 caliber pistol, ASP expandable baton and O.C. spray. Remington 870 shotguns, Colt and Bushmaster AR-15 rifles, beanbag shotguns, and X26 Tasers are used by some officers as well.

Past Chiefs

John Souers 1937-1951

Daniel Bratton 1951-1954

Wilbur Wade 1954-1962

Elmer Hagner 1964-1969

Edward Praley 1969-1974

Ashley Vick 1974-1979

Maxwell Frye 1979-1983

William Lindsey 1983-1986

George Wellham 1986-1991

Robert Russel 1991-1994

Robert Beck 1994-1997

Larry Tolliver 1997-1998 (Former Superintendent, Maryland State Police)

Patrick Shanahan 1998-2006

James Teare 2006-Present

See also

* List of law enforcement agencies in Maryland
*Anne Arundel County
*Maryland State Police

External links

*http://www.aacounty.org/Police/ Official Website
* [http://www.aacounty.org/Police/history.cfm Detailed History of the Anne Arundel County, MD Police Department]