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Police Division Celebrates 80 Years of Service

Police Chief Column
By Police Chief Brian Quinn
As published in the SNP/Arlington News

A necessity in any society, law enforcement is steeped in history. For those of us serving you in the present day, we recognize, learn from and celebrate the evolution of our profession over time. We at the Police Division are pleased to be celebrating 80 years of service to the Upper Arlington community in 2007, and our Staff has taken pause to reflect on the accomplishments and challenges of our predecessors that have helped shape our agency today.

Upper Arlington’s attention to safety began informally early into Upper Arlington’s establishment, as a one-person role fulfilled by the community’s co-founder Ben Thompson. By 1927, the Police Department was officially established, still with only one Marshall on board.

Today, our division has grown to become a staff of 49 sworn officers, six reserve/auxiliary members, one animal control officer, five administrative support staff and 12 full- or part-time radio/room communications positions.

The division is divided into three primary components. Our Operations Bureau primarily oversees our Patrol Section and the officers you are most likely to see day-to-day in the community. The Staff/Investigative Bureau is comprised of our detectives who work behind the scenes to solve criminal investigations, as well as overseeing animal control, law enforcement support to the Upper Arlington Mayor’s Court, and division record keeping. The Support Services Bureau ensures our officers receive comprehensive and regular training, provides the many educational programs available to the community, and oversees operations of our communications center dispatchers.

Over the years, the Police Division has been an industry leader in its provision of professional and reliable service to residents. In 1993, the division received its first accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), a significant achievement it has been able to maintain over the years. In fact, when our division was re-accredited in 2005, it was selected as one of eight (out of 100) to be a “Flagship Organization,” and was further selected to serve as the model division for other departments seeking certification.

Some of the milestones of our division of which I am most proud pertain to our community outreach and education efforts.

Our agency founded the Safety Town program in 1971, and we can proudly say that we have taught important safety lessons to many generations of Arlingtonians – today we often hear from parents that they once participated in the program as they come in to register or bring their preschoolers to the first day of class.

We launched our Pumpkin Patrol in 1989 to help keep children safe in the twilight hours of Beggar’s Night each year, and each year City worker volunteers cheerfully head out in City trucks to patrol the community while families and young children celebrate this fun holiday.

We launched the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program in 1989, taking officers into the schools to help equip students with the skills they need to make wise choices about alcohol, nicotine and other drugs.

Most recently, our Citizen Police Academy was launched in the fall of 2006, giving adult students a behind-the-scenes look at the many components of law enforcement. This program was such a success our 2006 participants eagerly went on to form an alumni group that helps provide support to the division on special projects and at community events.

Training procedures for new officers were first introduced in 1975 when officers were required to take 240 hours of basic training before assuming their post, where previously there was none. As of April 2007, the required number of hours for successful completion of peace officer basic training is 558 hours, so you can rest assured a new officer will not be sent out in to the community until he/she is fully equipped to perform the job at hand.

By now you will have seen the change in our Police cruisers, with a move back to black and white marked vehicles as a nod to tradition and in recognition of our anniversary. The division also will be celebrating at the upcoming Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival on Monday, September 3. Stop by our booth to meet with officers, view a display of division milestones and historic pictures, to pick up details of our safety education programs and to explore one of our new cruisers.

Visit www.ua-ohio.net, under the Resident Services / Police section for additional details of our anniversary celebrations.

Police Division
City of Upper Arlington
3600 Tremont Road
Upper Arlington, OH 43221
Phone: 614-583-5150
www.ua-ohio.net