The patrol division is the largest and most visible area of the Police Department. This division, commanded by Captain Michael Ubertaccio, has an authorized strength of 42 Police Officers and is responsible for handling all calls for service within the Town limits. These calls include but are not limited to alarms (burglar and fire), domestic violence reports, assaults, robberies, motor vehicle accidents, traffic enforcement, narcotics violations, welfare checks and assistance calls.

The patrol division is divided into two squads, "A " side and "B" side and is further broken down into platoons. Each platoon is overseen by a lieutenant who serves as the shift commander and a sergeant who acts as the road supervisor.

Each shift will have between 7 to 10 Police Officers working at any time.  Officers assigned to the patrol division work a set schedule of 10 3/4 hour shifts within a four-day work period. Officers are assigned to one of four shifts based upon seniority and remain on that shift for a one-year period.

Uniformed Officers from this division are assigned a specific area and method of patrol and aggressively maintain a visible presence in that area.

The patrol division breaks the Town into specific patrol areas and assigns an Officer to each area. Each shift also maintains additional units that are responsible for backing up assigned units or covering calls in an area when the primary car is unavailable.

The Town is further broken down into smaller areas with specific needs or concerns and assigns an Officer to that area on a walking post.

The walking posts allow uniformed Police Officers to more effectively cover a small, busy area and have proven to be invaluable over the years.

The Department has also found a great patrol tool in the use of uniformed Police Officers on specialized mountain bikes. These officers are able to cover a greater area than a foot patrol with increased visibility and a more rapid response in heavy traffic or congested areas.

The patrol division also maintains a traffic safety officer on each shift who has specializes in responding to emergency medical calls and motor vehicle accidents.

The Department maintains a fleet of 15 marked police vehicles to be used to answer calls for service. The primary vehicle used by the MPD is the Ford Crown Victoria with a police interceptor package.

The police vehicles all contain basic first aid equipment, with many containing portable semi-automatic defibrillators as all officers are trained as emergency first responders.  In addition, many vehicles contain radar to be used for speed enforcement.

In the year 2006, the Morristown Police Department responded to 38,283 calls for service and made approximately 1500 arrests. This ranks the MPD as one of the busiest police agency in Morris County.

To see the Uniform Crime Statistics for Morris County for the year 2005, click here. If you wish to view the entire UCR Report for the State of New Jersey, you can view it here at the NJ State Police website.