DIVISIONS

POLICE DEPARTMENT DIVISIONS

For your convenience, our website menu is structured by department divisions and specific topics of interest.  Please select from the left side menu to visit the page of each division or service of interest, and follow the sub-menus to individual unit pages which describe the functions and services that each provides.

 

                                           Sergeant Greg Durr                                                   Officer Willie Pickens

 

PATROL OPERATIONS DIVISION

Patrol Operations is responsible for responding to calls for service and routine patrol and crime suppression activities. Additionally, Officers assigned to the patrol division routinely engage in DUI and other traffic enforcement, work traffic accidents, assist stranded motorists, and serve warrants and writs. The division, consisting of approximately 35 sworn Officers.  Housed under the Patrol Operations Division is the Tactical Operations Unit, which consists of 16 personnel and handles situations involving the need for specialized police services such as breaching, negotiations, civil unrest, chemical weapons deployment, and related high risk activities.  The unit trains 8 hours per month to maintain proficiency in skill areas.  Each member has advanced skills in his or her discipline.

 

 

TACTICAL OPERATIONS UNIT

The Tactical Operations unit of the Northport Police Department handles situations involving the need for specialized police services such as breaching, negotiations, civil unrest, chemical weapons deployment, and related high risk activities. The unit consists of 16 total personnel, each with advanced training and skills in his or her particular discipline. The unit trains 8 hours per month to maintain proficiency in skill areas.  

 

 

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION

Investigating property crimes and robberies is the function of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Police Department. Other units attached to this division include Housing Services and Crime Prevention. The division also serves as the department liaison for Northport Police Investigators who are assigned to local multi-agency investigative units such as the Tuscaloosa County Homicide Unit and the West Alabama Narcotics Squad. Criminal Investigation Division is commanded by Assistant Chief Sharon Crowder. The following units are housed under the Criminal Investigation Unit: 

• Honor Guard - sworn personnel who are dedicated to displaying colors of our state and nation with the highest degree of respect and honor. The Honor Guard specializes in ceremonial details, posting of colors at official events and memorial services, and conducting Law Enforcement funeral details.

 • Property Crimes Investigation division of the Northport Police Department is responsible for the investigation of property crimes such as Burglary, Theft, Auto Theft, Forgery, Identity Theft, and similar crimes. 

• Northport Housing Authority, the Northport Police Department maintains a three Officer Housing Services Unit which provides service to Residential Communities owned by the Housing Authority. 

• Tuscaloosa County Homicide Unit investigates crimes against persons including Murder, Rape, and Felony Assault cases that occur in Tuscaloosa County, including the cities of Tuscaloosa and Northport. 

• Domestic Violence unit consists of three Investigators, one each from the Northport Police Department, the Tuscaloosa Police Department, and the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Department. The unit is specifically dedicated to conducting follow up investigation and assisting in the prosecution of Domestic Violence cases that occur in Tuscaloosa County

• West Alabama Narcotics Task Force is a multi-agency unit composed of officers from the Tuscaloosa Police Department, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Department, Northport Police Department, and the University of Alabama Department of Public Safety. To speak with a Narcotics Officer, call 349-0410. The number has secure voice mail.

•  Communications division of the Northport Police Department is the backbone of operations for emergency services within the city. Most often the first person a Citizen will speak to in times of emergency, the Dispatcher has the responsibility of gathering critical information in an emergency and relaying it to responding emergency services personnel. 

• The Records division is responsible for control of all active and archived police reports and related information. The records office is located in the main lobby of the Northport Public Safety Facility at 3721 26th Avenue, Northport, AL. The contact phone number is (205) 333-3033. Office hours are 8:00am til 5:00pm Monday through Friday except on holidays. Records division is also responsible for arranging fingerprinting of Citizens who are applying for professional licensing as Educators, Attorneys, etc. 

 

TRAINING DIVISION 

 The Training Division of the Police Department is responsible for police and emergency services curriculum development and delivery. Northport Police department maintains an in-house rotation training schedule for it's Officers which provides seven hours per month (77 hours per year) of training to each Officer. Topics include Constitutional and Arrest Law, Use of Force, and annual Driver training among others. In addition, the Training division maintains training activity records for all personnel of the Police Department and insures that all annual continuing education credits required by the Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission are earned by each Officer. The Training division Supervisor is Sergeant Chris Stewart.

 

TRAFFIC DIVISION

The Police Traffic Division is specifically dedicated to traffic enforcement and management of traffic related issues such as accident investigation and reconstruction. In addition, the Division handles the supervision of School Crossing Guards, Taxi and Wrecker inspections, Hit and Run investigations, and processes and coordinates special traffic requests such as parade permits. The Traffic Division is headed by Sergeant Greg Durr.  The following units are housed under the traffic division:

 • Taxis & Wrecker Inspection - By Ordinance any Taxi operating in the City of Northport must be inspected and Taxi drivers licensed.  Taxi inspections may be scheduled by contacting Officer Brian Kincaid at 469-1329. Licensing is handled by the business license department at City hall at 339-7000. By Ordinance each wrecker authorized to be listed on the Police Department "Rotation list" must be inspected and approved by the Traffic Division. Inspection appointments may be scheduled by contacting Officer Brian Kincaid at 469-1329. 

• All parade applications must comply with the City of Northport parade ordinance. The application should be delivered to the Traffic Division Commander at Police Headquarters at 3721 26th Avenue, Northport, AL 35473 at least 3 weeks in advance of the date of the parade. Parade permits are subject to approval and at the discretion of the Chief of Police. The parade permit form may be downloaded from the forms page of the Police Department website.  

• Hit & Run Investigations -The Traffic division also conducts investigations into Leaving the Scene of Accident cases, commonly referred to as Hit and Run accidents. Officer Brian Kincaid is the assigned LSA Investigative Officer and may be reached at 469-1329. 

 

 

INTERNAL AFFAIRS

The Internal Affairs Division is responsible for the investigation of professional integrity related matters. The procedures outlined below explain the process used during the investigation of Citizen complaints. 

Citizen complaint procedure.

Any person who wishes to file a complaint that involves the conduct of a member of the Northport Police Department may do so in person at the front desk at the Northport Police Department at 3721 26th Avenue, Northport, AL, by telephone at (205) 339-6600, or they may download a Citizen Complaint Form from the department forms page and complete and return the form by mail to 3721 26th Avenue, Northport, AL 35473 Attn: Chief Green. 

The following excerpts from the Northport Police Department Policy manual apply to Citizen complaint investigation. 

2.30.6 Time limits for completion of complaint investigation.

Standard Citizen Complaint investigations will be completed within fourteen days of the date of the initial filing of the complaint, unless extension time as outlined in section 2.30.7 is requested and approved.

 

2.30.7 Extension of investigation time limit.

Certain complaint investigations, due to their seriousness or complexity, may require more extensive investigation, and therefore require a longer period of time to process. Extension of time limits, in fourteen day terms, may be granted only by the Chief of Police. In the event that an extension is granted, it is the responsibility of the investigating officer to notify the complainant and all involved Officers of the time extension, and report back to the complainant and all involved Officers, the status of the investigation no less than every fourteen days, until the investigation is concluded and forwarded to the Office of the Chief of Police. Any such extension shall be documented in the final summary of the investigation, along with an explanation for the reason for the extension.

 

2.30.8 Notification to involved parties of status and final disposition of complaint.

The Complaining party and all involved Officers shall be notified in writing by the Chief of Police, of the final disposition of any complaint which they have filed, at the conclusion of the investigation or disciplinary process. This disposition shall state whether or not the complaint was determined to be ‘founded’, and that corrective action either has or has not been taken to prevent further instances, without specifying the particular action taken. 

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