The Patrol Division provides law enforcement services to the community 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The Patrol Division is staffed with a captain, sergeants and officers. The Patrol Commander is a captain who oversees the daily functions of the division, and includes officers in the special assignments of K9, SWAT and Traffic.

K9 Unit

The Plymouth Police Department's K9 Unit currently consists of three teams – Officer Jake Coopet and K9 Reign, Officer Ben Duncan and K9 Rico, and Officer Quincy Grabau and K9 Romeo.

Plymouth canines came from an area in eastern Europe known for its long history of police working dogs.

The K9 teams complete a 15-week academy and must pass practical tests in obedience, evidence recovery, suspect searches and apprehensions. After the initial test, K9 teams must re-certify annually. 

Plymouth Police utilize canines for their ability to locate. Due to canines having an extremely enhanced sense of smell, they are able to find evidence, narcotics and people that officers otherwise may not. Although the dogs are trained to apprehend suspects of violent crimes when necessary, and for safety reasons, this occurs very rarely in the City of Plymouth. The teams are often deployed to locate lost and missing persons, including children and the elderly.

Plymouth’s K9 teams have earned a strong reputation amongst other police departments in the area. Plymouth K9 teams have also earned many trophies and awards throughout the years. The K9 handlers train extensively with their partners and they spend a great deal of time together. The dogs inevitably become part of the handler’s family.

Plymouth K9 teams greatly enjoy engaging with the community and public interactions, but request that residents wave and ask the handler before approaching their K9 partners. While the dogs are friendly, they can be extremely protective of their human partners – please use caution when approaching a K9 team. 

Traffic 

Plymouth's Traffic Unit was formed in 1995. The unit’s primary responsibility is to address traffic concerns in the city's residential areas. Additional responsibilities include providing high-visibility traffic enforcement throughout the city, responding to and investigating major traffic accidents, enforcing commercial motor vehicle regulations, and conducting follow-up investigations of traffic-related complaints.

Community Services 

The Community Services unit is responsible for a variety of functions where a sworn peace officer is not needed, including animal control, nuisance enforcement, booking and monitoring of prisoners, parking complaints, various assists to officers and other services and deliveries. This unit also coordinates the weekly fingerprinting for residents needed for various work or adoption.