The Everett Police Department’s Operations Division consists of 2 captains, 6 lieutenants, 8 sergeants, and approximately 56 patrol officers. Patrol shifts rotate and consist of four-10 hour shifts: a day shift, evening shift and an overnight shift. Each shift is comprised of a lieutenant, one sergeant and a squad of 9 officers. The lieutenant (Officer-in-Charge) commands each shift, and the squad is led on the street by a sergeant referred to as a “Patrol Supervisor.” All of our shifts overlap by forty- five minutes between the day shift and the evening shift, with a five hour overlap between 9 pm and 2 am. Manpower levels are doubled during the evening shift, the busiest shift, to address the increase in calls for service during this time.

The Operations Division is the largest division in the Everett Police Department. It operates year round, seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. It includes patrol units, traffic units and K-9 units. The function of the patrol units is to provide uniform patrol coverage to all areas of the city. Officers conduct patrols on foot, by bicycle, and in motor vehicles. They respond to both past and in progress crimes, motor vehicle crashes, directed patrols, injuries, illnesses, and fires. Officers routinely arrest offenders, investigate citizen complaints, provide traffic control and enforcement, appear in court, and attend community based meetings. They perform directed patrols for specific issues brought forward by the community, crime analysis, and designated “hot spots” identified by the department’s crime analysts. Officers are encouraged to interact with the business community during slower periods, which are referred to as “walk and talks,” direct extra attention towards areas of problem/concern, and complete their incident reports.

The primary goal of the Operations Division is the prevention of crime and disorder by adhering to community policing principles, which have been adopted by the Everett Police Department. Under this philosophy, officers are assigned to designated sectors of the city. Each officer has a responsibility to address the concerns in the area with the assistance of specialized units, other city departments, and community members.