The Uniform Division consists of .....

·         Deputy Chief

·         Watch Commanders

·         Lieutenants

·         Patrol Officers

·         Traffic Officers

·         Gang Officers

·         Lake Patrol Officers

·         Bike Patrol Officers

·         K-9 Officers

·         Community Oriented Policing

·         Field Training Officers

·         Vehicle Maintenance Officer

 

 

 

 

 

Deputy Chief Rusty Wright

Deputy Chief Rusty Wright was hired by the Lawton Police Department in January of 1987.  During his more than 20 years, he has worked as a Police Officer, Tactical Team member, assigned to Special Operations, Patrol Supervisor, Lake Patrol Supervisor, Criminal Investigations Supervisor, Tactical Team Supervisor and Commander, Watch Commander and is now the Deputy Chief of Uniform Division. He also graduated from Midwestern State University, in Wichita Falls, Texas with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Criminal Justice and is a FBI National Academy graduate of Class #232. 

 

Six captains work as Watch Commanders on the three shifts. They are responsible for all operations during their watch but are carried within the Uniform Division for administrative purposes. They can be reached by dialing (580) 581-3533, 581- 3534 or  581-3243.

·         Captain Wade Shaw

·         Captain Jackie LaRoche

·         Captain Ronnie Smith Jr.

·         Captain Ralph Szatkowski

·         Captain Richard Franz

·         Captain Troy Morris

Fourteen Patrol Lieutenants serve as field supervisors.  They can be reached by dialing (580) 581-3225, 581- 3226, 581-3227 or through dispatch at 581-3271.

·         Lt. Juan Ayala

·         Lt. Charles Crawford

·         Lt. Jim Cowley

·         Lt. Robby Edmondson

·         Lt Robert Puccino

·         Lt. Bill Jenkins

·         Lt. David Williams

 

·         Lt. Darrell Southerland

·         Lt. Bobby Dodd

·         Lt. Ron Seratte

·         Lt. Cliff Blasengame

·         Lt. Larry Cochran

·         Lt. James Johnson

·         Lt. Brian Morris

 

These Captains and Lieutenants are responsible for supervising the patrol officers in the field on their respective teams as well as a variety of other functions within the department to include:

·         Bike Patrol

·         Crisis negotiation unit

·         Honor Guard

·         Gang Unit

·         Awards committee

·         K-9 Unit

·         Intoxilyzer Supervisor

·         Fleet Supervisor

·         COP unit

 

·         Hazardous Material unit

·         Tactical Team

·         Dive Team

·         Quartermaster

·         Sentinel Program

·         Motorcycle Unit

·         Land and Lakes Commission

·         Along with many boards and committees

The balance of personnel in the division are officers assigned to patrol, traffic, or lake duties.

Patrol officers are primarily assigned to respond to calls and take enforcement action within assigned zones. They are also responsible for traffic enforcement within their area of assignment. Backup officers come from adjacent zones or the same zone on major calls.   Traffic officers are primarily responsible for investigating traffic collisions and traffic enforcement at locations having high accident rates. Their mission is to investigate accidents and take appropriate enforcement methods to reduce the number of accidents, to reduce the loss of property due to accidents, and, most importantly, to reduce the number of lives lost due to traffic accidents.

Lieutenant Robbie Edmonson heads the Lake Patrol. Lake Officers are primarily responsible for all law enforcement efforts at Lake Lawtonka and Lake Ellsworth. Officers are assigned year round to those duties and additional officers are assigned during the summer months' peak activity levels. They patrol both the grounds surrounding the lakes and the lakes themselves. They work closely with the Dive Team when boating accidents or drownings occur.   

The Uniform Division also has special assignments within the Division including:

Bike Patrol Officers have received special training and are assigned bicycles to get to normally inaccessible areas or address special problems. Normally assigned to regular patrol duties, these officers patrol on bicycles as the need arises. They are used for special events such as parades and other gatherings of large numbers of people. 

A Special Projects Unit has been implemented to address problems within the city.   These problems include gang activity and other high crime activities that require extra manpower.  Part of their mission is to respond to gang-related problems, gather information on gang activities, and take appropriate law enforcement actions relating to law violators who are affiliated with gangs.

The Department currently has 6 K-9s. Go to the K-9 Page

Community Oriented Policing is a vital strategy in combating crime in Lawton.  The Police Department has three officers assigned to Community Oriented Policing in three areas of the city.  Go to the Community Oriented Policing information page.

The Uniform Division also utilizes Field Training Officers to complete the training of rookie officers. These FTO's volunteer to mentor new officers for the first 14 weeks following their graduation from the Basic Police Academy.  The program is very structured with weekly tests to ensure absorption of the material presented. Using their own experiences coupled with special FTO training, the FTO's guide the new officers when they first confront difficult situations.

A Vehicle Maintenance Officer concludes the special assignments within the Uniform Division. He is responsible for making minor repairs to the police fleet and for the arrangement of work required for major repairs. Routine maintenance and diligent effort have resulted in many cars being available for use when their age and/or mileage would otherwise have resulted in sooner disposal. 

 

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