The Patrol Division seeks to maintain social order and quality of life through the enforcement of laws, the timely response to calls for service, the preliminary investigation of criminal offenses, the apprehension of offenders, the enforcement of traffic laws, and the furtherance of crime deterrence through the maintenance of a visible presence and collaboration with the community.
The Division's authorized strength is 120 police officers, representing 70% of the Department's 170 officers. Considered the "backbone" of the Department, the men and women of the Patrol Division responded to nearly 60,000 calls for assistance in 2003. The Division Command includes the SWAT Team, the Dive/Marine Team, the Crisis Negotiation Team, Motorcycle Patrol, Mounted Patrol, Bicycle Patrol, Canine Patrol, Community Services, and the three Patrol Watches. The Division is under the command of Captain Henry Porretto. 
The Community Services Unit and each watch is commanded by it's own lieutenant. The Evening Watch is supervised by six sergeants while the Day and Night Watches are supervised by five sergeants. The number of officers assigned to each Watch corresponds to the unique demands and call loads of each Watch. The Evening Watch responds to approximately 40% of all calls for service and, therefore, is staffed by the most officers.
The Patrol Watches are non-rotating and consist of three, eight-hour shifts. The Day Watch operates from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Evening Watch operates from 2:00 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Night Shift operates from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Lapover units patrol the streets during shift change.
The Island is divided into three zones, with each zone being divided into beats. The East Zone is east of 39th street. The Central Zone is 39th to 103rd streets. The West Zone is west of 103rd street. Generally, during his watch a lieutenant is responsible for patrol operations throughout the Island while a sergeant supervises a zone, and an officer patrols a beat. The objective of this delineation of duties is to encourage officers to become familiar with the citizens and problems unique to their beat, as well as allowing citizens to become familiar with the officer who patrols their neighborhood daily. By getting to know the citizens we serve and remaining active in our neighborhood organizations, we seek improvement in the quality of police service delivery, the reduction in crime and the reduction in fear of crime.
