Uniform Patrol

Uniform Patrol is comprised of three patrol districts that provide police services to the Town of Cary. The primary mission of each district is to protect life, property and the prevention of crime. Uniform officers are responsible for patrolling nearly 51 miles and providing effective law enforcement services to 118,854 residents and visitors.

In 2009, a Department re-organization occurred reinforcing the focus of available resources and personnel to the citizens of Cary. To achieve more balanced and uniformed coverage, the Town of Cary changed from two patrol districts to three, with each district having three or four patrol sectors. This changed has allowed for more efficient use of agency supervisory resources.

Officers continue to focus their attention on their assigned geographical areas. This has resulted in officers becoming more familiar with their district and sectors, its population and crime trends. Additional benefits have been increased officer availability during peak times and an increase in the volume of in-service training. The divisions are commanded by Captain Don Hamilton, District1; Captain Kenny Williams, District 2; and Captain Scott Davis, District 3.

Officers are assigned to a specific sector within a district. The assignments are made for the long term to strengthen each officer's commitment to his or her area of the community. Field supervisors spend time interacting with their team and providing guidance with daily operations. Officers are encouraged to implement problem-solving techniques in cooperation with co-workers and with citizens.

The department has been using Community Based District Offices for several years. Three district offices are currently in operation throughout the Town:

• Crossroads Shopping Center on Walnut Street
• Cary Fire Station #5 on High House Road
• Cary Towne Center Mall on Walnut Street

Patrol Shifts: The department's three patrol districts comprised of 5 platoons operate on a permanent schedule. The shifts are as follows: Tuesday through Friday, 10 hours; Saturday through Monday, 12.5 hours. Officers on the Saturday through Monday schedule also work eight hours every other Tuesday.

Permanent Sector Assignments: Because officers work in the same sector of Town each day for the same time frame, they have the opportunity to become more familiar with activity in their area. This helps facilitate enhanced communication between members of the Department and citizens. As officers become familiar with issues affecting their sector, they are able to take a more proactive approach toward problem solving problems. This is part of the Department's commitment to community policing.

Deployment of Personnel: Having three districts with a shift overlap allows the department the ability to deploy patrol officers more efficiently and helps reduce response times to calls for service.

Supervision: A District Captain, 2 Lieutenants, 5 sergeants and 2 Corporals supervise each district. This arrangement ensures that supervisors are in the field throughout the shift keeping District Captain and Lieutenants available for administrative tasks.

Training: The schedule has an eight hour block for mandatory training every month. Officers are required to receive in-service training on a variety of topics (i.e. firearms, driver training, defensive tactics, legal updates, etc.). Officers assigned to Third and Fifth Platoons conduct most of their in-service training in a one-week period during the summer months.