Divisions

Patrol Division is the largest and most visible of the department's divisions. It is responsible for the response to calls for service, field reporting, police patrol, traffic enforcement, accident investigation, and community-oriented police activities. The patrol division is comprised of 1 Captain, 1 Lieutenant, 6 Sergeants, and 25 Patrol Officers. These uniformed officers are assigned to 1 of 2 shifts (days or nights). Each day, seven days a week, the patrol division provides general law enforcement services.

The Tactical Unit consists of personnel who handle situations involving the need for specialized police services such as high risk warrants, barricaded subjects, hostage negotiations, civil unrest, and other situations where the need for specialized tactical unit personnel arises. The unit trains 16 hours per month to maintain proficiency in skill areas. Each member has advanced skills in his or her discipline.

Investigating property crimes and robberies is the function of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Police Department. Other units attached to this division include Housing Services and Crime Prevention. The division also serves as the department liaison for Northport Police Investigators who are assigned to local multi-agency investigative units such as the Tuscaloosa County Homicide Unit and the West Alabama Narcotics Squad.

• Criminal Investigation - The Northport Police Department is responsible for the investigation of property crimes such as Burglary, Theft, Auto Theft, Forgery, Identity Theft, and similar crimes. The division also investigates crimes against persons such as Juvenile and Elderly abuse.
• Tuscaloosa County Homicide Unit investigates crimes against persons including Murder, Rape, and Felony Assault cases that occur in Tuscaloosa County, including the cities of Tuscaloosa and Northport.
• Domestic Violence unit consists of three Investigators, one each from the Northport Police Department, the Tuscaloosa Police Department, and the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Department. The unit is specifically dedicated to conducting follow up investigations and assisting in the prosecution of Domestic Violence cases that occur in Tuscaloosa County.
• West Alabama Narcotics Task Force is a multi-agency unit composed of officers from the Tuscaloosa Police Department, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Department, Northport Police Department, and the University of Alabama Department of Public Safety. To speak with a Narcotics Officer, call 205-349-0410. The number has secure voice mail.

The Police Traffic Division is specifically dedicated to traffic enforcement and management of traffic-related issues such as accident investigation and reconstruction. In addition, the Division handles the supervision of School Crossing Guards, Taxi and Wrecker inspections, Hit and Run investigations, and processes and coordinates special traffic requests such as parade permits. The following units are housed under the traffic division:

Taxi and Wrecker Inspection - By Ordinance, any Taxi operating in the City of Northport must be inspected and Taxi drivers licensed. Licensing is handled by the business license department at City Hall at 205-339-7000. By Ordinance, each wrecker authorized to be listed on the Police Department "Rotation list" must be inspected and approved by the Traffic Division. Inspection appointments may be scheduled by contacting the Northport Police Department at 205-339-6600.

Parade applications must comply with the City of Northport Parade Ordinance. The application should be delivered to the Traffic Division Commander at Police Headquarters at 3721 26th Avenue, Northport, AL 35473 at least 3 weeks in advance of the date of the parade. Parade permits are subject to approval and at the discretion of the Chief of Police. View Parade Permit Form (PDF).

Hit and Run Investigations - The Traffic division also conducts investigations into Leaving the Scene of Accident cases (LSA), commonly referred to as Hit and Run accidents.

The Housing Unit consists of three officers that provide service to Residential Communities owned by the Housing Authority. They handle calls for service, routine patrol and traffic enforcement, as well as, being engaged in crime suppression and other community activities.

The Communications Division is the backbone of operations for emergency services within the city. Most often this is the first person a Citizen will speak to in times of emergency, the Dispatcher has the responsibility of gathering critical information in an emergency and relaying it to responding emergency services personnel.

• The Office of Professional Standards is responsible for the investigation of professional integrity-related matters. Citizen complaints, co-worker conflict, and maintaining general harmony, within the department, all fall under the command of this office. The procedures outlined below explain the process used during the investigation of Citizen Complaints.
• Citizen Complaint Procedure - Any person who wishes to file a complaint that involves the conduct of a member of the Northport Police Department may do so in person at the front desk at the Northport Police Department at 3721 26th Avenue Northport, AL 35473 or by telephone at 205-339-6600.

The following excerpts from the Northport Police Department Policy manual apply to Citizen Complaint investigation.

• 2.30.6 Time limits for completion of the complaint investigation. Standard Citizen Complaint investigations will be completed within fourteen days of the date of the initial filing of the complaint unless an extension time as outlined in section 2.30.7 is requested and approved.
• 2.30.7 Extension of the investigation time limit. Certain complaint investigations, due to their seriousness or complexity, may require more extensive investigation, and therefore require a longer period of time to process. Extension of time limits, in fourteen-day terms, may be granted only by the Chief of Police. In the event that an extension is granted, it is the responsibility of the investigating officer to notify the complainant and all involved Officers of the time extension, and report back to the complainant and all involved Officers, the status of the investigation no less than every fourteen days, until the investigation is concluded and forwarded to the Office of the Chief of Police. Any such extension shall be documented in the final summary of the investigation, along with an explanation for the reason for the extension.
• 2.30.8 Notification to involved parties of status and final disposition of the complaint. The Complaining party and all involved Officers shall be notified in writing by the Chief of Police, of the final disposition of any complaint which they have filed, at the conclusion of the investigation or disciplinary process. This disposition shall state whether or not the complaint was determined to be founded, and that corrective action either has or has not been taken to prevent further instances, without specifying the particular action taken.

The Training Division of the Police Department is responsible for police and emergency services curriculum development and delivery. Northport Police department maintains an in-house rotation training schedule for its Officers which provide seven hours per month (77 hours per year) of training to each Officer. Topics include Constitutional and Arrest Law, Use of Force, and annual Driver training among others. In addition, the Training division maintains training activity records for all personnel of the Police Department and ensures that all annual continuing education credits required by the Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission are earned by each Officer.

• The Records Division is responsible for the control of all active and archived police reports and related information. The records office is located in the main lobby of the Northport Public Safety Facility. The contact phone number is 205-333-3033. Office hours are 8 am until 5 pm. Monday through Friday except on holidays.
• If you need an accident report, it may take up to five days to be processed. Please call the Records Division for availability. There is a $10 charge (Cash, Credit Card, or Money Order only) for each copy of the accident report requested if you pick it up at our window or you may obtain a copy of your accident report online for a fee of $8. To obtain an accident report, you will need the Case Number (as given to you by the responsible Officer) and the date of the accident.
• The Records Division is also responsible for fingerprinting Citizens who are applying for professional licensing as Educators, Attorneys, etc. Please come to the Northport Police Department on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 8 to 11 am for fingerprinting. There is a $25 charge for one set of two fingerprint cards. We accept cash, debit, or credit cards.