Baton Rouge Police Department

The Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Chief of Police, as of March 8, 2018, was Murphy Paul.

Baton Rouge Police Department
BRPD patch
AbbreviationBRPD
Agency overview
Formed1865
Annual budget$84.3 million
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionBaton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Map of Baton Rouge Police Department's jurisdiction.
Size79.1 sq mi (205 km2).
Population227,071
General nature
Operational structure
Police Officers645
Unsworn members267
Agency executive
  • Murphy Paul, Chief of Police
Facilities
Districts4
Website
https://web.archive.org/web/20150209114309/http://brgov.com/dept/brpd/

The Baton Rouge Police Department has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) since 1996.[1]

History

Baton Rouge was incorporated in 1817 and the Baton Rouge Police Department was formally established in 1865, just after the end of the Civil War, with the appointment of the first Chief of Police.

Currently the Baton Rouge Police Department receives about 215,000 service calls. In an average year, city police officers:

  • Respond to and write reports on 135,000 non-traffic calls
  • Respond to 30,000 false alarms
  • Investigate 21,000 serious crimes
  • Investigate 17,000 traffic crashes
  • Make 8,000 arrests
  • Submit 22,000 pieces of evidence or property
  • Seize 900 firearms
  • Present 200 crime prevention and education seminars (to about 10,000 people)
  • Destroy 2,500 pounds of seized illegal narcotics
  • License 12,000 bicycles
  • Drive 7,000,000 miles (11,000,000 km)

In 2005, due to elevated population levels as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, many of these numbers were significantly higher.[2]

Bureaus and command staff

The BRPD is divided into four bureaus:

  • Uniform Patrol Bureau - Captain Wayne Martin
  • Criminal Investigations Bureau - Chief of Detectives Shenard Carey
  • Administration Bureau -
  • Operational Services Bureau - Deputy Chief Herbert Anny

Uniform Patrol Bureau

Uniform Patrol is the largest bureau of the department, and is the primary point of contact for services to the public. The Bureau operates four precinct stations and satellite offices throughout the city. Officers assigned to this bureau perform preventive patrols and respond to public requests for assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Uniform Patrol Bureau consist of the following divisions:

Uniform Patrol Division

Uniform Patrol Division is responsible for patrolling all areas of the city, responding to calls from citizens, conducting preliminary investigations of all crimes, and enforcing both criminal and traffic laws. The Uniform Patrol Division is divided into four (4) geographical patrol sections or districts.

First District Precinct

The First District Precinct is located at 4545 Plank Road and serves what is traditionally known as North Baton Rouge. The area patrolled is roughly bordered on the north and east by Winbourne Avenue and Airline Highway, on the west by the Mississippi River and Scenic Highway and on the south by Government Street.

Second District Precinct

The Second District Precinct is located at 2265 Highland Road and serves what is traditionally known as South Baton Rouge. The area patrolled is roughly bordered on the north by Florida Boulevard, on the west by the Mississippi River, on the south by Bayou Fountain, and on the east by Bluebonnet Highway, Essen Lane, Jefferson Highway, and Lobdell Avenue.

Third District Precinct

The Third District is located at 9000 Airline Highway, and serves the eastern part of the city. The area patrolled is roughly bordered on the north by Greenwell Springs Road and the South Choctaw Drive Extension (railroad tracks), on the west by Airline Highway and Lobdell Avenue, on the east by North Stevendale Road, Lively Bayou, O'Neal Lane, Jones Creek Road, and Stumberg Lane, and on the south by Airline Highway and Jefferson Highway.

Fourth District Precinct

The Fourth District Precinct is located at 8227 Scenic Highway and serves the extreme northern part of the city, including the area traditionally known as Scotlandville. The area patrolled is roughly bordered on the north by Blount Road and Thomas Road, on the west by the Mississippi River, on the east by Buttonwood Drive, McClelland Drive, and Plank Road, and on the south by Evangeline and Airline Highway.

Traffic Division

The Traffic Division is responsible for parking control, radar speed enforcement, motorcycle escort duty, and assisting the uniform patrol division in selective traffic enforcement and accident investigation, as required, as well as special assignments at the discretion of the Chief of Police. The traffic division carries out its mission with the following sections:

Motorcycle Section

The Motorcycle Section concentrates on traffic enforcement and accident investigation, as well as escorts and other specialized assignments at the discretion of the Chief of Police.

Radar Units

Radar Units are responsible for enforcement of speeding laws, serve as accident investigators during inclement weather and are periodically assigned to special events.

DWI Task Force

The DWI Task Force patrols after dark, enforcing laws relating to impaired drivers under the influence of either alcohol or drugs.

Bicycle Patrols

Bicycle Patrols are utilized for concentrated, more personalized protection of contained areas, such as malls, shopping centers, or areas of high-density pedestrian traffic. Bicycle Patrol officers are also assigned to the Downtown Development District to enforce parking ordinances, contact business owners and residents to check for problems and devise solutions to those problems.

Traffic Homicide Unit

The Traffic Homicide Unit investigates all traffic crashes involving death or life-threatening injuries and fleet crashes as directed by the Chief of Police.

School Crossing Guards
School Crossing Guards are civilians used to supplement police protection of children walking to and from schools during the regular school year.
Reserve Officers
Reserve Officers are civilians who undergo necessary training to become police officers and who donate their time as police officers to supplement existing manpower, especially during special events.
Hit and Run Division

The Hit and Run Division is responsible for the follow-up investigation of hit and run and incomplete accidents as reported by field officers.

Support Services Units

The Support Services Units perform functions that supplement the uniform patrol division.

Housing Authority Unit

The Housing Authority Unit coordinates all security at public housing complexes, working closely with management and residents to enforce laws, resolve problems and provide a safe environment.

Building Security
Building Security coordinates protection for the East Baton Rouge Parish Governmental Building and its employees.
Misdemeanor Investigation Office
The Misdemeanor Investigation Office is responsible for conducting follow-up investigations of misdemeanor crimes.
K-9 Unit

The K-9 Unit is used for building searches, crowd control, tracking fleeing suspects, or searches for missing persons, or any other missions which could more effectively or more safely be carried out by trained Police dogs than by police officers.

In 2007, the American Kennel Club awarded the K-9 Division with its 2007 Law Enforcement Award for Canine Excellence due to the units work in the year following Hurricane Katrina.

Crime Analysis Section
The Crime Analysis Section collects data generated by uniform officers and reports to the bureau commander with respect to manpower allocation and directed patrol initiatives.

Criminal Investigations Bureau

Criminal Investigations offers some limited first-line response to the public, but is primarily responsible for follow-up investigations of major crimes. Divisions within the Criminal Investigations Bureau include:

Crimes Against Persons

Crimes Against Persons include the following divisions:

Homicide Division
is responsible for investigating all criminal calls where a death or life-threatening injury has occurred, any officer involved shooting or the attempted murder of a police officer.
Armed Robbery Division
is responsible for investigating all criminal calls involving all degrees of robbery.
Juvenile and Sex Crimes Division
is responsible for maintaining juvenile investigation records, cases of child abuse, and all types of sex crimes.
Major Assaults Division
is responsible for investigating a wide range of non-life-threatening felony personal crimes and missing person cases.
Computer Crimes Division
investigates crimes committed against persons or computer systems using the Internet, e-mail or other electronic means.

Property Crimes

Property Crimes includes the following divisions:

Burglary Division
is responsible for coordinating all follow-up investigations of burglaries, as well as the recovery of stolen property from local pawn shops.
Auto Theft/Impound Division
is responsible for conducting follow-up investigations of auto thefts and unauthorized use of movables. The unit also coordinates all records and information relating to vehicles stored and impounded by the Department and monitoring local towing services to insure compliance with applicable standards and ordinances.
Forgery Division: is responsible for investigating all crimes involving thefts by fraudulent use of access cards, and forgeries of negotiable documents.

Investigative Support

Investigative Support includes the following divisions:

Evidence Division
is responsible for the collection, storage, cataloguing, and disposition of all evidence and property seized by, or turned in to, the department.
Crime Scene Division
is responsible for assisting in investigations by taking photographs, sketching major crime scenes, collecting and tagging evidence, and performing various scientific tests on suspects and/or evidence as needed.
Crime Stoppers Office
coordinates all facets of the Crime Stoppers program with local news media, businesses, and the public.

Administration Bureau

Administration is the Chief's staff bureau, concerned with the overall management of the department's operations and internal controls. Most offices are housed downtown at Police Headquarters located at 9000 Airline Highway. Divisions and Positions within Administration:

Legal Advisor
acts as an advisor to the Chief of Police and his staff on department matters, to ensure conformity with existing laws and court decisions.
Office of Media Relations
acts as a liaison between the department and members of the working news media.
Fleet Management Division
is responsible for all aspects of assigning and maintaining the fleet of vehicles owned and operated by the department.
Internal Affairs Division
conducts investigations and maintains records on all complaints of wrongdoing lodged against members.
Accounting and Personnel Office
handles all accounts receivable and payable and prepares the department's annual budget, as well as all personnel records and actions.
Operational Management
is responsible for providing a wide range of services to the Chief of Police and the department, such as coordinating all research; writing, reviewing and distributing policies and procedures; securing state and federal grant funds; coordinating travel of officers on department business; conducting research on products and equipment; exchanging information with other police agencies regarding operations; inventory control and supply; and accreditation.
Staff Inspections Office
is responsible for conducting daily inspections of all divisions of the department.
Health and Safety
analyzes conditions that may affect an officer's performance or result in loss of work time.
Community Resources
is responsible for establishing liaison with formal community organizations and other community groups.
D.A.R.E
places police officers in elementary school classrooms to act as anti-drug abuse instructors.
Extra Duty Office
coordinates and tracks all off-duty employment of police officers.
Intelligence Division
gathers information on both real and potential threats to the public peace and assimilates and reports such information to the Chief of Police.
Explosives and Hazardous Materials UNIT
is responsible for on-scene and follow-up investigations of hazardous materials spills or fires, explosions, or crimes involving incendiary devices of all types.

Special Response Team, (SRT)

SRT consists of a full-time unit and part-time unit which is composed of officers who are on-call. Their mission is to respond to emergency operations, such as hostage situations, and to provide dignitary and VIP protection. Members of the team competed in the 2008 World SWAT Challenge and finished 5th overall, while also capturing the “Rookie Team Championship” title.

Operational Services Bureau

Operational Services is the most diverse bureau of the department, providing numerous and varied support functions, including serving as the repository for all criminal and traffic records. Divisions within this Bureau:

Alarm Enforcement Section
is responsible for licensing, regulating, maintaining statistics, and collecting fees from alarm users in the city and parish.
Licensing Section
is responsible for issuing licenses and maintaining records on all persons and businesses licensed by the Chief of Police.
Subpoena Services and Court Liaison Section
is responsible for serving subpoenas and other court documents to department personnel, and for maintaining liaisons with area courts.
Bicycle Registration Division
is responsible for registering and licensing all bicycles sold and ridden in the city, as well as enforcing applicable bicycle traffic ordinances. This division is also responsible for storage and disposition of all abandoned, recovered and seized bicycles.
Training Services Unit
is responsible for the recruitment and training of all prospective and newly hired officers, and the in-service training and re-certification of existing personnel in all aspects of law enforcement as well as the maintenance of records relating to such training. The firearms training section is responsible for all training of potential, newly hired, and existing personnel in the area of firearms safety and proficiency. The recruiting section is responsible for interviewing prospective employees, conducting all necessary background checks and tests, and providing lists of qualified and recommended candidates for employment as officers.
Criminal Records Section
maintains a centralized record system of all criminal offense reports prepared by officers of the department, arrest reports, fingerprint cards, and all necessary files and systems for criminal information storage, retrieval, archiving, and disposition.
Traffic Records Section
is responsible for the maintenance of a central traffic records system, providing report production, a public counter service facility, and a system for traffic information storage, retrieval and disposition.
Latent Print Section
operates as an identification unit, analyzing, comparing, cataloguing and classifying submitted fingerprints.
Crime Information Unit
is responsible for operating the National Crime Information Center computer and teletype system, receiving and distributing advisories from other agencies, and inputting information originating with this department, for dissemination to other interested agencies.
Crime Statistics and Research Unit
manages the FBI uniform crime reports and provides statistically oriented data to other divisions and outside agencies.
Communications Division
is responsible for proper routing of all telephone calls to the department. This division receives and processes all requests for police services. Communications personnel also dispatch, via radio, the appropriate police units to investigate and assist as needed.
Technological Support Unit
is responsible for operating, maintaining, and updating all computer systems used by the department.

Rank structure

Rank Insignia
Chief
Deputy Chief of Police
Major
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Corporal
Police Officer First Class No Insignia
Police Officer No Insignia
Trainee No Insignia

The Chief of Police is appointed by, and reports to, the Mayor. The Chief is assisted by a Deputy Chief; who is a Colonel. This post has replaced Chief of Staff. All other police positions are promotional and based on seniority, as mandated by state civil service law.[3]

Fallen officers

Since 1911, the Baton Rouge Police Department has lost 21 Officers and 1 K9 who died while on duty.[4]

Rank Name Date of Death Cause of Death Age Location
Chief of PoliceJoshua Baker Hare11-15-1911Shot and killed by an angry fellow Officer who had been suspended for showing up to work while drunk66Corner of Spain St. and St. Philip St., Baton Rouge, Louisiana
OfficerJoseph Mareno09-18-1923Shot and killed while he and another Officer were searching for a murder suspect in a rail yard45In the area of Francis Street and Railroad Avenue in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Chief of DetectivesFrank E. Schoonmaker10-24-1931Shot and killed while searching for 2 men who robbed a man of $11 and a pair of shoes38N/A
LieutenantGeorge W. Bannister03-03-1966Shot and killed while asking a driver for their license after arriving at the scene of the crash41Intersection of North 26th Street and Gayosa Street in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
SergeantJoseph Sanchez06-06-1966Succumbed to injuries sustained 2 months earlier after being shot while searching for a robbery suspect; the wound caused a blood clot which moved to his heart47N/A
OfficerJ.D. Blackwell02-04-1968Struck and killed by a drunk driver while on his motorcycle during a funeral procession32N/A
OfficerThomas Ray "Sonny" Fancher09-10-1968Killed in a motorcycle crash after losing control while escorting 3 heavy trucks28Intersection of Essen Street and Perkins Street in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
OfficerDennis R. Heap06-01-1972Killed while on his motorcycle while en route to a funeral procession25Intersection of Florida Boulevard and Cloud Street in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
OfficerKarl F. Bourgoyne07-14-1977Killed in a motorcycle crash while trying to pass a tractor trailer in order to catch a speeder25N/A
Police OfficerLinda A. Lawrence08-01-1977Shot and killed in a home after arriving on scene to a robbery in progress30N/A
LieutenantCarl Robert Dabadie Sr.04-06-1984Killed in a motorcycle crash48Lobdell Ave., Baton Rouge, Louisiana
OfficerCharles David Stegall06-14-1988Killed after being struck in the side of his patrol car by a drunk driver40On East Boulevard in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
SergeantWarren Joseph Broussard06-21-1988Shot and killed while questioning 2 suspects about a house burglary40N/A
CorporalBetty Dunn Smothers01-07-1993Shot and killed in her police car while escorting a business owner who was making a bank deposit36N/A
LieutenantVickie Salassi Wax05-22-2004Shot and killed with her own service pistol while attempting to arrest a shoplifter51N/A
DetectiveTerry Lee Melancon, Jr.08-10-2005Shot and killed while serving a search warrant31N/A
CorporalChristopher Michael Metternich08-14-2006Killed while on his motorcycle by a drunk driver31Intersection of Sherwood Forest Boulevard and Newcastle Avenue in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Police OfficerMark A. Beck02-25-2008Killed after rear-ending a tractor trailer at a railroad crossing33On U.S. Highway 61 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
K9Philos10-16-2009Killed after the car Philos was in was struck by a drunk driver8Intersection of Government Street and St. Charles Street in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Police OfficerMatthew Lane Gerald07-17-2016Shot and killed in an ambush along with Corporal Montrell Lyle Jackson and East Baton Rouge Parish Deputy Bradford Allen Garafola, Sr. after all 3 of them responded to reports of man with a rifle walking along the sidewalk419611 Highway Airline, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70815
CorporalMontrell Lyle Jackson07-17-2016Shot and killed in an ambush along with Police Officer Matthew Lane Gerald and East Baton Rouge Parish Deputy Bradford Allen Garafola, Sr. after all of 3 of them responded to reports of a man with a rifle walking along the sidewalk329611 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70815
CorporalShane Totty02-01-2019Killed in a motorcycle crash while escorting a funeral procession.31Jones Creek Rd., Baton Rouge, Louisiana
LieutenantGlenn Hutto Jr.04-26-2020Shot and killed by a suspect in a murder from earlier in the day. The suspect ambushed Lt. Hutto and Cpl. Derrick Maglone in a backyard; Hutto was fatally wounded and Maglone was seriously injured.45Conrad Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Former chiefs

NameDates in Office
Joseph Sanchez1865 - 12 Feb 1866
Eri Morley Brooks, Sr.12 Feb 1866 - 1874
Oscar Heady Foreman1874 - 1876
Robert Wiseman1876 - 1878
Thomas Benton Hillen1878 - 1888
Joshua B. Hare1888 - 1911
Phillip Patrick Huyck1911 - 1914
King H. Strenzke1914 - 1939
Joseph W. Bates1939
Wilbur D. Atkins1939 - 1941
Perry M. Johnson1941 - 1944
Fred C. Parker, Jr.1944 - 1953
Joseph H. Green1953 - 1954
Shirley S. Arrighi1954 - 1961
Arthur A. Altazin1961
Wingate Moore White1961 - 1964
Eddie O. Bauer, Jr.1964
David Keyser1965 - 15 Feb 1968
Eddie O. Bauer, Jr.15 Feb 1968 - 1973
Rudolph Ratcliff1973 - 29 Apr 1974
Howard Kidder29 Apr 1974 - 3 Feb 1975
Williard R. Ashford, Jr.3 Feb 1975 - 1975
Howard Kidder1975 - 1979
George L. "Johnny" Johnston1979 - 1981
Pat Bonanno1981 - 1985
Wayne Rogillio1985 - 1992
Greg Phares1992 - 2001
Pat EngladeJan 2001 - 2004
Jeff LeDuff2004 - Nov 2010
Charles MondrickNov 2010 - May 2011
Dewayne WhiteMay 2011 - 6 Feb 2013
Carl Dabadie6 Feb 2013 - 8 Mar 2018
Murphy J. Paul, Jr.8 Mar 2018–present

See also

References

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