The Auburn Police Department is divided into the following divisions:

Patrol | Investigations | Special Operations | Community Services | Records | Inspectional Services | Animal Control

Patrol

The community is divided into North and South patrol sectors with a total of six patrol districts. The patrol division is the most visible unit of the police department and is staffed by 67 officers who respond to calls for service in marked patrol vehicles. They are supervised by two commanders, one during day shift and the other during an evening shift and nine sergeants. This design promotes the greatest responsiveness and accountability to the community. It also allows officers to be assigned to patrol districts for extended periods of time and encourages neighborhood communication and community partnerships

K-9

The K-9 unit consists of two K-9 officers teamed with 3 year old German Shepherds. They are "generalist" patrol dogs utilized for tracking suspects, locating evidence, and handler protection. Each dog is certified after successfully completing an initial 400 hours of training. In addition, each dog remains accredited by the Washington State Police K-9 Association.

The Traffic Unit consists of a Sergeant, two motorcycle officers, and two traffic cars. Their primary responsibility is traffic enforcement and accident investigations. Advanced expertise includes Technical Collision Investigation, Collision Reconstruction, and Drug Recognition Enforcement.

Parking Enforcement is staffed by 2 enforcement officers. The Parking Enforcement Officer enforces the parking regulations and monitors the timed parking areas downtown. In addition, the officer is responsible for impounding abandoned vehicles throughout the city.

The Explorer Post is designed for young people 14 through 20 years of age who have an interest in a law enforcement career. Through their involvement, members gain valuable training and develop qualities of team building, dedication, discipline, and leadership. Explorers are involved in community service projects and competitive activities with other explorer posts. For more information or an application, please call 253-931-3080.

Bicycle Patrol

The Bicycle Patrol unit consists of two officers specifically assigned to the downtown Auburn corridor and Sounder Commuter Rail Station. Bicycle Officers are highly visible and capable of quick response in a dense urban environment.

School Police Officers

The Auburn School District and the Police Department have joined forces in an invaluable neighborhood-policing program, which benefits Auburn's greatest resource - its children. Just as neighborhood police officers become a part of the neighborhood they serve, school police officers are a part of the staff at the schools where they work. Each of the three Auburn high schools has a full time police officer. These officers are not there to serve as security guards, but to provide a professional police resource to the students and staff. School police officers are available to assist students and staff in a number of ways.

Not only do they respond to problems which are criminal in nature, they are involved in classroom education on everything from career presentations to government and civics classes. Two of the school police officers are employees of the Auburn School District and the third is a commissioned Auburn police officer. For more information please contact the Auburn School District at 253-931-4900.

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Investigations

The Investigations Division consists of three sergeants and 16 detectives. The Investigations Unit is divided into three distinct areas of responsibility; Major Crimes, Economic Crimes, and Special Investigations. The Major Crimes Unit investigates the crimes of sexual assault, felony assault, robbery, and homicide. The Economic Crimes Unit investigates the crimes of auto theft, felony theft, burglary, fraud, and forgery. The Special Investigations Unit is responsible for investigating drug and vice complaints as well as directed enforcement for specific problems.

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Special Operations

The special operations division consists of units made up of officers who receive specialized training to handle high risk situations as they come up.

Valley SWAT

The Auburn Police Department partners with Federal Way, Kent, Renton, Tukwila and the Port of Seattle police departments to provide a combined Regional Special Response Team to support their respective communities. They provide extraordinary law enforcement response to incidents such as high risk warrant service, barricaded subject, hostage, and sniper situations. Each agency staffs and equips a team. All agencies share in joint operational expenses. In addition to intense ongoing training; the team responds to 40-60 call outs per year.

Valley Crisis Communications Unit (Negotiators)

Just like the SWAT team the Auburn Police Department partners with Federal Way, Kent, Renton, Tukwila, Des Moines, and the Port of Seattle Police Department to provide negotiations at special response type events. The primary mission of the Valley Crisis Communications Unit (VCCU) is to provide support to other elements of the participating agency's department in hostage/barricaded/suicidal subject(s) situations, through the deployment of specially trained officers skilled in crisis management and hostage negotiations, with the goal of attaining a peaceful resolution through communication. These specially trained officers will respond to incidents involving, or potentially involving, a high risk to the public, police officers, or suspects.

Valley Civil Disturbance Unit (VCDU)

The Auburn Police Department partners with Federal Way, Kent, Renton, Tukwila, and the Port of Seattle Police Departments to provide a well trained and equipped civil disturbance/civil disobedience response for South King County and the region. The overall size of the VCDU is in excess of 80 officers and has a fully equipped "Cut Team", skilled and equipped to defeat obstacles and locking devices commonly used by demonstrators. The VCDU trains regularly and has deployed in support of WTO and recent anti-war demonstrations in Olympia and Tacoma.

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Inspectional Services

The Inspectional Services Commander reports directly to the Chief. This portion of the department is responsible for managing commendations and allegations of misconduct. The Inspectional Services Commander is also responsible for staff inspections and serves as the Public Information Officer. Commendation, Inquiries and Allegations of Misconduct (CIA) investigations are designed to allow the agency to look at our department from the eyes or our community members.

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