New York City Police Department

The New York City Police Department (NYPD), the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. It is considered to be the first "modern" style police department in the United States; when it was created in the 19th century, it was modeled after London's Metropolitan Police.

Structure

Police Precincts

The police department is divided into precincts. Each precinct is responsible for safety and law enforcement within a designated geographic area. Police units based in these precincts patrol and respond to emergencies.

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For management purposes, police precincts are grouped collectively based on their jurisdiction into Patrol Boroughs. There are eight Patrol Boroughs. They are: Manhattan North, Manhattan South, Brooklyn North, Brooklyn South, Queens North, Queens South, Bronx, and Staten Island.

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Transit Police

The NYPD Transit police is a separate branch of the NYPD that patrols and responds to emergencies within the New York City Transportation Network. Their jurisdiction includes the NYC Subway, Buses, and Railroads.

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The Transit Police is broken up into Transit Borough Commands covering the public transportation network. They are Transit Borough Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. From there, they are divided into Transit Districts which are based in major transportation hubs in the Subway.

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Housing Bureau

The Housing Bureau is responsible for providing the security and delivery of police services to 420,000 residents, employees and guests of public housing (projects) throughout New York City. They are stationed in Police Service Areas (PSA), which are almost identical to police precincts, with nine PSAs in total located throughout the five boroughs. Officers often do vertical patrols, making sure illegal activity does not take place in the halls, stairways, or the roof.

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Auxiliary Police

The NYPD has an unpaid force known as the Auxiliary Police program. It is composed of citizens who volunteer time to help their neighborhoods by providing a uniformed presence.

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In 1950, the 81st Congress passed the Public Law #920, entitled ?The Civil Defense Act of 1950? authorizing a Federal Civil Defense Program. In 1951, the New York State Legislature enacted the ?Defense Emergency Act? requiring New York City to recruit, train, and equip volunteer Auxiliary Police, who would then act as a liaison to the NYPD in the event of an emergency or natural disaster.

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In 1967, A Mayoral Executive Order closed the Civil Defense Headquarters and placed full responsibility of the Auxiliary Police Program with the NYPD. During the 1960?s when crime was on the rise, uniform Auxiliary Police patrols were an effective means to deter crime.

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Auxiliary officers sometimes ride in squad cars (called RMPs for Radio Motor Patrols), but usually patrol on foot. They are equipped with a baton, flashlight, handcuffs, and a radio. If officers see a crime in progress, they report it to Central Dispatch using the radio. Auxiliaries act primarily as the eyes and ears of the police department. Before becoming auxiliaries, recruits go through 53 hours of training. Recently, a directive dated July 14th, 2 weeks after the 7 July 2005 London bombings, stated that the City would institute a citywide transit auxiliary program. This will help reduce crime and fight terrorism in the Transit System. http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/52610.htm

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Highway Patrol