The largest and most recognizable component of the Hagerstown Police Department, the Uniform Patrol Division is the backbone of our agency. It consists of three platoons, each working eight hour shifts and rotating on a monthly basis. The first to respond to emergency and non-emergency situations, uniform patrol officers encounter a variety of situations requiring that they be trained in a wide range of areas. Uniform Patrol Division maintains a pro-active patrol attitude in order to detect criminal activity, reduce the opportunities for offenders to commit crimes, maintain peace and order, and protect life and property. Patrol officers also conduct criminal investigations, perform various traffic related activities, investigate crimes, and enforce State, County, and City laws in a fair and impartial manner.

K-9 Unit
The Department utilizes its cainine teams for crowd control, searching buildings that have been broken into, tracking robbery suspects and escapees, participating in drug raids, and responding to various other calls. Additionally, they assist with routine patrol functions and conduct demonstrations for a variety of public groups.

Cainine teams consist of a patrol officer and one dog (usually a German Shepherd). Dogs are cross trained in patrol duties and drug detection. The teams undergo 20 weeks of initial training, followed by 90 hours of in-service training and recertification per year.

Parking Enforcement
The Parking Enforcement Program was created in 1995. The enforcement of parking regulations is handled by a specially trained group of civilian personnel. This program has assisted the uniformed patrol division by freeing officers to focus on other matters of concern.

Street Crime Unit
During January 1998, the Street Crime Unit (SCU) was created to address the types of crime problems for which more focused and innovative strategies are needed. The SCU primarily works high crime areas, and frequently attacks drug trafficking/dealing. If an area is being inundated with a particular crime problem that requires more aggressive action than the normal patrol response is able to deliver, the Street Crime Unit will be deployed there to assist in eliminating the problem. In 2007 SCU added a Gang Intelligence Detective to the unit. As many of the offenders arrested by SCU are gang members, the gang intel detective is able to document these members and provide information to other officers and agencies.

Today SCU continues to aggresively address the drug trade and all street level problems that develop. The following stats are for the years 2005 and 2006:

2005 Stats
216 Total Arrests
120 CDS Arrests
Executed 49 Search and Seizure Warrants Executed

2006 Stats
219 Total Arrests
121 CDS Arrests
50 Search and Seizure Warrants

Warrant Squad
The two man warrant squad has the responsibility of serving paperwork received from the local courts, other police agencies and juvenile services. This paperwork includes warrants, criminal summons, ex partes, emergency commitments, summons to appear, show cause orders, and body attachments. At times another agency may apprehend an individual wanted by our department. In these instances the warrant squad officers may travel to other jurisdictions to retrieve prisoners. The Warrant Squad is the liason between the hagerstown Police Department and other agencies in matters involving legal process.