Organization

Department Organization

The Ottumwa Police Department is comprised of 36 sworn officers and 14 civilians. The Department is organized into three major components: Patrol Division, Services Division, and Investigations Division. Each of the Divisions operates under the command of a Lieutenant. The Division Commanders report to the Chief of Police.

Patrol Division

The Patrol Division is responsible for general patrol which includes answering calls for service, responding to emergencies, directed and general patrol activities, traffic law enforcement, preliminary criminal and follow-up investigations, detection of violations of the law, and apprehension of law violators.  Patrol officers report to the on-duty Field Sergeant, who reports to the Watch Commander.  In the absence of either a Watch Commander or a Field Sergeant, the on-duty Sergeant assumes the duties of both positions.  The Watch Commanders report to the Division Commander. 

Services Division

The Services Division is responsible for Budget/Fiscal Management, Grant Administration, Planning, Policy Formulation, Internal Affairs, Training, Entry Level Testing, Department Equipment, Inspections, Property/Evidence, D.A.R.E./G.R.E.A.T. Program, School Resource Officer Program, Housing Authority Officer, and Community Service Officers assigned to Parking and Animal Control Enforcement. Officers in Services Division report to the Services Division Sergeant, who reports to the Division Commander.

Additionally, the Division is responsible for the Records and Communications functions within the Department. Communications Specialists perform these duties and report to the DataCom Supervisor, who reports to the Division Commander.

Investigations Division

The Investigations Division is comprised of the Investigations Unit and the Southeast Iowa Interagency Drug Task Force.  The Investigations Unit is responsible for criminal/major case investigations, case tracking, and Emergency Response Team management.  Investigators in the Investigations Unit report to the Division Commander. 

The Southeast Iowa Interagency Drug Task Force is responsible for investigating, apprehending, and prosecuting drug and drug-related criminal offenders in a six county area.  The Drug Task Force specifically targets drug manufacturers and traffickers through shared investigatory and prosecutorial resources of its members.  The Department administers the federal grant that funds the Drug Task Force and assigns one Investigator and one Sergeant to the Unit.  Investigators report to the Unit Sergeant, who reports to the Division Commander.  

To visualize the structure, view the Department's organizational structure chart .