Profile of the Canfield Police Department

Philosophy:
The Canfield Police Department is a community based police department 
that is responsive to the needs of the public.  We practice community 
oriented policing.

Mission:
The mission of the Canfield Police Department is to work in partnership 
with the community to protect life and property, solve community problems, 
and enhance the quality of life within our community through the provision 
of prompt, professional and courteous service. To accomplish this mission, 
the department takes a three-pronged approach:

To serve:
In regards to the first prong, service, no job is too big nor any to small.
Vehicle lockouts, vacation checks, private property accident reports, 
incident reports, civilian and juvenile fingerprinting, and response to 
EMT and fire calls are but a few of the services rendered by our staff in 
the "service" oriented realm of our mission. Our central location and 
community based dispatch provide convenient access to these services.

To protect:
The second prong, protection, involves a multifaceted, proactive approach.
Our patrol officers provide aggressive patrol, monitor traffic, enforce 
speed limits through the use of radar and Lidar (laser), enforce D.U.I. 
and licensing laws, provide security checks of residential and business 
areas (including checking the security of doors at night), and much more. 
We maintain the objective of "three minutes or less" response time. 
Canfield patrol officers are well trained and equipped to handle the 
diverse criminal threats to the citizens that we protect.
* A Canine program will be in place by late summer to enhance patrol 
  effectiveness in the areas of searches, criminal apprehensions, and 
  narcotics enforcement.
* Our detective and patrol officers make full investigative efforts on 
  every crime reported to this department, regardless of the magnitude of 
  the incident.  A Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT Team) is in place
  to investigate major criminal incidents such as murders, robberies, 
  burglaries, etc.  Outside resources such a the State's BCI Forensic 
  Investigator are readily available to assist if needed.
* Our Juvenile Officer specializes in investigation of youth crime and 
  related matters.  
* We participate in the area-wide Violent Crimes Task Force and Drug Task 
  Force.
  
To prevent:
The third prong, prevention, involves strategies for deterring criminal 
conduct within our community.  Educational programs such as DARE and gang 
awareness seminars act as preventive medicine by providing our youth with 
skills to minimize the risk of getting into legal trouble.  Our Juvenile 
Diversion Program is aimed at nipping undesirable youth behavior in the 
bud.  Crime prevention strategies such as target hardening, and training 
seminars for the public and business personnel, are also offered.
  
Professional standards at entry level positions:
The City maintains very stringent hiring requirements designed to promote 
a high degree of professionalism and competence.

For full-time sworn police officers, the selection process is governed by 
Civil Service. For appointment, candidates must possess a college degree 
and successfully pass the following:
* Competitive civil service exam
* Series of interviews
* Polygraph exam
* Thorough background examination
* Fitness assessment
* Psychological exam
* Medical examination
* Drug Screen
* OPOTA Certification
* One year probationary period

Part-time and Reserve Patrol Officers are not governed by Civil Service, 
however, all other selection criteria are the essentially the same, with 
the exception that a college degree is not required for appointment.  
These officers are expected to pursue a college education.

Full-time Dispatchers are governed by Civil Service and must pass a civil 
service exam, interviews, a thorough background check, and a six month 
probationary period. Part-time Dispatchers are not subject to Civil 
service exam, however, the remainder of the selection process is the same.
Auxiliary Officers are civilian volunteers who must pass interviews, a 
polygraph exam, and a thorough background check in order to be appointed.

Entry level training:
Sworn Officers:  All newly appointed sworn officers are mandated to 
complete an extensive "Field Training Program" which covers a variety of 
aspects of law enforcement and takes several months of full-time effort to 
complete.  During this phase of their training, officers are required to 
demonstrate a high degree of knowledge and experience in the areas of 
radar, physical skills, defensive tactics, accident investigation, 
driving, emergency response to situations, criminal procedures, problem 
solving and much more.

Dispatchers:  All newly appointed Dispatchers also must successfully 
complete an extensive "Dispatch Field Training Program" which covers 
emergency and non-emergency call-taking techniques, fire and police 
dispatch, 9-1-1 procedures LEADS/NCIC certification, deputy clerk of court 
duties, computerized records system processing, alarm procedures, etc.

Auxiliaries:  All newly appointed Auxiliary Officers complete a "Field 
training Program" which is similar to that of the sworn officers but does 
not entail the areas and duties which are exclusive to sworn officers.
 
Maintaining professional standards through in-service training:
Professional competence requires constant training, practice, and study. 
It is the objective of the department to ensure that all employees will 
receive formal core training in all critical areas of performance and 
liability. Annually, each sworn officer is required to complete firearms 
qualifications (a minimum of twice per year), subject control and 
defensive tactics training (a minimum of eight hours, including competency 
based written and practical exams), vehicles stops (a minimum of four hours 
training), CPR and first aid update training and re-certification, verbal 
tactics training, legal issues updates, holding cell procedure update, 
breathalyzer re-certification, advanced DUI detection, traffic accident 
investigation, bloodborne pathogens protection training , and pursuit and 
emergency driver training.
 
Dispatchers are also required to participate in a minimum of sixteen hours 
of annual professional training in areas such as police and fire dispatch 
and call-taking procedures, e.g., APCO Basic Telecommunicator 40 hour 
course, Powerphone Police Dispatch, Powerphone Fire Dispatch, cultural 
awareness, holding cell operations, stress management, domestic violence, 
bloodborne pathogens, CPR and first aid.

Auxiliary officers also must complete annual in-service training in areas 
relevant to their duties.

Personnel also receive formal training within their specialty areas, i.e., 
investigations, crime scene processing, firearms instruction, etc.. 
Internally, the department's various field instructors and supervisors 
conduct other types of in-service training during the work shift.  Some of 
this is done through video instruction, review of written materials, 
computer aided training, roll-call, and on-the-job interaction and 
training.

The City supports and provides incentives for higher education for 
full-time officers, including tuition refund for course work up to a 
Masters degree in Criminal Justice.

Professional focus and direction:
Professional code of ethics, oaths of office, written policies and 
procedures, standards of conduct, general goals, specific objectives, and 
dedicated supervision give each of our personnel consistent guidelines to 
follow while conducting their duties. Besides having to be well versed in 
these, officers are expected to maintain a high level of working knowledge 
in legal issues in both procedural and substantive law. This process has 
provided competent and effective personnel who understand the community and 
its diverse needs, who are able to serve the public and improve their 
overall quality of life, and to protect the public in these violent and 
troubled times by adopting a proactive approach to law enforcement within 
constitutional constraints.


Canfield Police Department Resources
I.      Building
  Our Police station is centrally located within the community.  This 
  provides for convenient public access to our services.  With its 
  renovation in 1995, additional area was added to the structure resulting 
  in an approximate two-fold increase in floor space.  The building was 
  designed to separate the various functional tasks performed within so as 
  to facilitate efficiency and effectiveness of operations.
* The lobby area has an attached report room, a public restroom and phone, 
  windows to access records and communications/dispatch, and a work 
  counter for the news media or citizens.
* The administrative wing of the department contains areas which needed to 
  have maximum public accessibility.  Within this wing is the Chief's 
  office, an administrative office where our computer network is managed, 
  a conference room, and our Auxiliary Officer room.
* The center of the building contains the Communication Center which 
  provides the following services and functions: Emergency and 
  non-emergency call-taking, 9-1-1 PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point), 
  dispatch for Canfield Police Department, dispatch for Cardinal Joint 
  Fire District, dispatch for Canfield City services (Public Works, Water, 
  Zoning), answering of Municipal Building phones after hours, Fax machine, 
  Bank Alarm panel, Logging recorder for phone lines and radio channels, 
  LEADS terminal, 24 hour walk in service for the public, CCTV monitoring 
  of security areas, and assistance with clerical duties for police and 
  court records.
* Also centrally located is the records storage room and the office of the 
  Records/Dispatch Supervisor and Clerk of Mayor's Court.  Office supplies 
  and a copy machine housed in this area.
* The employee wing of the building contains two locker rooms and 
  restrooms, a break room, an employee entrance, and a closet that houses 
  radios and patrol equipment.
* The operations wing of the building contains the Detective's office, an 
  interview room equipped with one-way glass for suspect identification, 
  Juvenile Officer's office, Juvenile Diversion Caseworker's office, an 
  operations room for the road officers, and an evidence processing/storage 
  room.
* The booking area of the department contains fingerprinting/booking 
  supplies and a BAC Datamaster (breathalyzer).  Adjacent to the booking 
  room are two holding cells and a sallyport/garage area.  
* A storage area and an armory are located behind the Sallyport/garage 
  area.
* In the rear parking area is located a three-car enclosed garage.
* There are eleven computer workstations throughout the building on a 
  local area network which are used for word processing, spreadsheets, 
  databases, and our computerized records system.
II.     Vehicles - Our fleet consists of the following:
* Six marked police cruisers (one designated as the K-9 car)
* One unmarked Detective vehicle
* One unmarked Auxiliary and all purpose utility van
III.    Major Programs and Services:
  The following is a brief, general outline of the major services presently 
  provided by the Canfield Police Department to the City of Canfield.


Patrol:  The uniformed patrol division handles emergency and service calls, 
investigation of criminal conduct, and visible patrol. There are scheduled 
least two full-time officers in marked units on patrol in the City of 
Canfield at all times, with a power shift at peak hours, i.e., 6PM-2AM 
Friday and Saturday.  Part-time officers replace full-time officers on 
vacation, leave, etc., but there is at least one full-time officer on duty 
at all times.
 
Investigations:  The detective division consists of one full time officer 
and is sometimes supplemented with the juvenile officer and other officers 
as needed. The detective division investigates all reported crimes and 
attempts to gain a resolution (i.e., solve the crime). Our detective 
manages the department's overall investigative efforts and supervises the 
progress of each case through the Criminal Justice system, i.e., 
investigation, arrest, booking, interrogation, arraignment, preliminary 
hearing, grand jury, trial, and final disposition.

C.I.R.T. (Critical Incident Response Team): The CIRT team consists of 
officers who are specialists in crime scene evidence collection, 
interviewing and interrogation techniques, crime scene protection, 
photography, and apprehension tactics. This team is called out for all 
major crimes, including homicide, suicide, robbery, rape, burglary, and 
unusual deaths.
 
Telecommunications:  The dispatch center is a 9-1-1 answering point and 
provides around-the-clock telephone and walk-in services, establishing 
direct communications between the public and the officers.  In addition to 
handling emergency calls for both the city police and joint fire district, 
dispatchers also monitor other calls for city services. Normally there is 
one dispatcher on duty.

Juvenile Division:  The juvenile officer is staffed by one full time officer 
who handles juvenile cases and also teaches the D.A.R.E. program at the 
local schools.  The juvenile officer works closely with the Juvenile 
Diversion Caseworker, Canfield Schools, Children's Services, and Juvenile 
Court.

Radar, Traffic Law Enforcement, and Traffic Safety:  Through the use of 
moving and stationary radar units in every marked unit, and the 
availability of a stationary laser radar that can be operated by an 
officer standing away from his or her cruiser, the patrol division strives 
to keep traffic moving freely yet safely throughout the community.  
Officers respond to vehicle operation complaints in residential areas, as 
well as major business routes.  Residents are encouraged to contact the 
department to assist in controlling the traffic concerns in their 
neighborhood. The goal of speed enforcement and all other traffic law 
enforcement is to gain voluntary compliance with the traffic laws so as to 
ensure traffic and pedestrian safety within the community.

Juvenile Diversion:  The juvenile diversion caseworker is a part time 
position which provides a viable alternative for city youths and their 
parents by diverting them from the juvenile court system on a case-by-case 
basis.  The diversion caseworker is a licensed counselor and social worker 
who counsels young people and their parents and monitors their progress in 
the program.  Juveniles who successfully complete the program and stay out 
of trouble in the future avoid having a record in juvenile court and the 
stigma that goes along with this record.

Auxiliary Officer Program:  Auxiliaries are civilian non-sworn, volunteers 
who assist the patrol and investigative divisions in many ways including 
surveillance, traffic control, handicapped parking law enforcement and 
investigations.  Auxiliaries also assist with prisoner transport, booking, 
and monitoring, and, assist with a variety of service functions such as 
lockouts, crime prevention programs, supervision of community service, and 
civilian fingerprinting. surveillance of problem area such as high 
vandalism or theft incidences

K-9 Unit:  The K-9 dog unit is a new unit at the department.  The K-9 is 
trained to track suspects, sniff for narcotics, and provide protection to 
the handler.  The dog will also be used for educational programs.

Violent Crimes Task Force:  One full time officer is assigned part time to 
the Mahoning County Violent Crimes Task Force.  The task force provides 24 
hour emergency call-out service to the department.  The task force is our 
resource for hostage negotiations and S.W.A.T. type services, negating the 
need for additional training, equipment, and manpower within the department.
Drug Task Force:  One full time officer is assigned part time to the Mahoning 
County Drug Task Force.  The task force specializes in the investigation 
of high level narcotics cases.

Civilian Fingerprinting:  The city offers fingerprinting for all city residents and city business employees for employment background and registration purposes.
Vacation Checks: The department will provide periodic checks of residences when the owners are away, at their request to do so.
BAC Datamaster:  The city maintains and operates a state of the art breath testing machine for D.U.I. investigations.  All full-time patrol officers are certified to operate the machine.
Community Oriented Policing Program:  While the Canfield Police Department has always been a community based police department, in recent years this philosophy has expanded from an abstract set of ideas, to a concise set of formatted programs to address the many needs of the citizens we serve.  Some departmental activities in this regards include providing crime prevention meetings, speakers to community organizations and governmental systems (i.e., schools, etc.), and meetings with community and business groups to exchange information and ideas about protecting and serving the community.
IV Personnel
Following is the break down of current staffing levels in the department:
Eleven full-time officers:
* One Chief
* One Lieutenant
* One Detective
* Two Sergeants
* One Juvenile Officer
* Five Patrol Officers
Five Part-time officers (sworn, paid):
* One Sergeant
* Four Patrol Officers
Four Reserve Officers (sworn, volunteer).
Eight Auxiliary Officers (non-sworn, volunteer):
* One Auxiliary Sergeant
* Seven Auxiliary Officers
Dispatching:
* One Dispatch/Records Supervisor. Clerk of Mayor's Court, Mayor's
  secretary, Police Chief's secretary
* Four Full-time Dispatchers
* Three Part-time Dispatchers
* Juvenile Diversion Caseworker (Part-time - currently funded by grant 16 
  hours per week)


Note:  The staffing numbers for part-time, reserve, and auxiliary 
positions are flexible and can be adjusted up or down depending on the 
department's need and the availability of qualified applicants.


On Staff Expertise:  The department has many experts in various fields of 
law enforcement currently on staff, including certified Ohio Peace 
Officers Training Academy Instructors, Firearms Instructors, Subject 
Control Instructors, Emergency Vehicle Operations Instructors, 
Intermediate Weapons Instructors (i.e., chemical agents, baton, etc.), 
Physical Fitness Instructors, Radar Instructor, Legal Issues Instructors, 
Use of Force Instructors, APCO Instructor, etc.. In addition, numerous 
officers have earned recognition and distinction among their peers at the 
state and national levels, having achieved the status of "expert witness,"
authored articles published in professional law enforcement journals, and 
authored police texts utilized throughout the local and national police 
community.  Departmental staff members belong to many professional 
organizations (I.A.C.P., A.S.L.E.T., A.P.C.O., O.C.P.A., N.M.A., etc.).

C.P.D.  07/02/96