The patrol division provides the fundamental base for the City of Carlsbad Police Department’s law enforcement services. Responding to more than 90,000 calls for service annually, the patrol division serves the community and meets crime face-to-face in a wide range of situations 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.

Although street patrols are the majority of the division’s activity, other special details and services include canine units, bicycle patrol, crisis negotiations, bilingual services, and mental health assistance teams.

With almost 10,000 cases reported every year, the investigations division is responsible for the follow-up on a variety of crimes such as violent crimes, property crimes, fraud and financial crimes, auto theft, juvenile crime, elder abuse and child abuse. Each criminal case is reviewed through a case screening process and assigned to a detective in General Investigations, Family Services, Violent Crimes or Vice Narcotics.

After the initial investigation by a patrol officer, case screening utilizes pre-determined solvability factors such as the presence of witnesses or physical evidence to help decide whether further investigation is justified. A case may be assigned to a detective for additional investigation if sufficient evidence and information are present. If a case is not assigned to a detective, a report will be kept on file as a resource for similar crimes in the future.

The goal of the traffic division is to help reduce the number of collisions citywide through an aggressive enforcement program, educational efforts and in cooperation with the City of Carlsbad Traffic Engineering Department. Additionally, members provide parking enforcement, abandoned vehicle abatement and coordination of special events.

Enforcement efforts target those areas of the city with the greatest number of collisions. The city continues to see a direct correlation between the number of enforcement contacts and the number of collisions – the more police presence, the fewer collisions.

Contact the Traffic Division at 442-339-2290.

• Collision Investigations
• Parking Enforcement
• Abandoned Vehicles
• Towed Vehicles

The City of Carlsbad Police Department SWAT's primary mission is the preservation of life and the safe resolution of critical incidents. Examples of situations when the SWAT Team may be deployed include:

• An armed suicidal subject barricaded inside a residence
• A bank robber with a hostage inside the bank
• A high-risk search warrant

The team is responsible for the service of search and arrest warrants that are deemed to be "high risk." The Tactical Response Team is comprised of special weapons and tactics (SWAT) members, crisis negotiators and tactical medics. SWAT members are required to complete a two-week POST-certified SWAT academy and maintain high skill levels through monthly training. Specially trained crisis negotiators assist the team by establishing communication with the suspect and negotiating a peaceful surrender. The tactical medics are members of the City of Carlsbad Fire Department and supplement the team to ensure the immediate ability of advanced lifesaving treatment to any injured persons.

The Family Services Unit is responsible for investigating crimes of domestic violence, child abuse, juvenile related crime and elder abuse. Additionally, the unit manages several juvenile intervention and prevention programs for youth in the community such as:

• Juvenile Justice Panel
• School Resource Officer Program
• GUIDE Program

The Vice Narcotics Unit targets those responsible for the use, distribution, sales and proliferation of illegal drugs in the community. The unit is also responsible for enforcing laws related to gambling, liquor laws, prostitution and other illegal activities. Members of the unit work with other regional agencies and participate in a variety of task forces, such as narcotics, auto theft, gangs, identity theft and terrorism.

The Violent Crimes Unit is responsible for investigating homicide, rape, robbery, and other violent crimes against persons. Due to the face-to-face violent nature of these crimes, care is taken to assure that each victim receives pertinent information tailored to their individual needs.

The City of Carlsbad Police Department provides special trained police officers to local junior high and high schools. The goals for the school resource officer program are to maintain order in and around schools; to deter crime through enforcement; and to create positive interaction among students, residents and educators.

The City of Carlsbad Police Department’s canine program includes four active canines. Police canines provide a valuable service to the department by assisting in the location and apprehension of suspects and increasing officer safety. Using their keen sense of smell, police canines can not only detect human scent but also assist in the search for illegal narcotics. Often, simply the presence of a highly trained police dog is enough to deter a suspect from attempting to flee, fight or hide. Currently, all of the dogs are Belgian Malinois but German Shepherds have been used in the past. Canines train rigorously on a regular basis with their handlers to maintain their skills. This training consists of a variety of scenarios that hone the skills of the canine teams and expose the teams to new environments they may encounter on the street. The canine teams also compete on a regular basis at police canine trials throughout Southern California. The competitions test teams’ abilities in obedience, agility, area search, building search, officer protection, and narcotics detection.