Patrol

The Patrol Division is the backbone of any police agency.  Patrol Officers work 24 hours a Day, 7 Days a week, 365 days a year.  They are the first responders for all calls for service, critical incidents, and begin all investigations.  The Meriden Police Department have three (3) shifts (called “watches”), utilizing a bid-shift system to assign officers to each watch. A Patrol Officer’s work-cycle consists of four (4) days on, followed two (2) days off.  There are 3 watches covering every 24 hour period:

 

First (1^st) Watch --- Primary Hours: 11:00pm to 07:00am                                                                                     Watch Commander:  Lieutenant Christopher Fry (Contact: 203-630-6262)

Second (2^nd) Watch --- Primary Hours: 07:00am to 03:00pm                                                                                 Watch Commander:  Lieutenant Antonio Carusone (Contact: 203-630-6251)

Third (3^rd) Watch --- Primary Hours: 03:00pm to 11:00pm                                                                                    Watch Commander: Lieutenant Cody Kroeber (Contact: 203-630-6258)

Watch Commanders report directly to Captain John Mennone, the Police Operations Division Commander.  Each Watch is further sub-divided into three (3) Groups and each Patrol Watch has at four (4) Sergeants assigned who serve as the first line supervisors in Police Operations. 

 

Patrol Sergeants are responsible for inspecting all personnel prior to assuming duty, responding to and supervising all major incidents/crimes, and ensuring that Patrol Officers perform their duties properly.  There are eight (8) primary geographical patrol sectors within the City of Meriden with at least one (1) officer at a minimum who is assigned to each of the geographical patrol areas within the City of Meriden. 

 

Patrol Officers attend a daily briefing, known as "Roll Call," where they are given assignments, details about crime patterns, special patrol needs in their assigned areas, problem areas that affect quality of life of citizens, and information about wanted or dangerous persons.  Patrol Officers usually drive marked police cruisers, but may also use unmarked vehicles, motorcycles, police mountain bikes, and foot patrol to cover their assigned post. When not responding to criminal investigations and calls for service, Patrol Officers perform general patrol duties, traffic enforcement, directed patrols, address quality of life issues, initiate and maintain citizen contacts, and conduct proactive business or residence checks.

All members of the department start their careers as Patrol Officers where they receive in-depth training on our department policies, laws of arrest, criminal procedure, penal and motor vehicle codes, and victim services.