The mission of the Abilene Police Department Patrol Division is to protect the lives and property of all citizens. The Division dedicates its personnel and material resources to maintaining public order and safeguarding the individual and constitutional rights of all persons.
The Patrol Division is the most visible unit within the Department. With more than one hundred officers and supervisors, the Division comprises more than sixty percent of the Department's authorized strength. The Division is the first responder to most calls for police service.
The Division has, in the past, been almost entirely reactive in nature. However, within the last few years the Division has begun the transition to Community Oriented Policing by taking a proactive approach to involve citizens in developing solutions to recurring crime problems. Using the principles of Problem Oriented Policing, officers and the public have begun to make an impact on these crime problems.
The Department has made a continuous effort to maintain effective communications using modern technology and equipment. All officers are issued departmental cell phones, and patrol units are equipped with Mobile Data Computers (MDCs) with links to national and state crime computers, other departmental units, and the Department Records Division. These phones and on-board computers offer multiple avenues of communication for officers from within their units, and are a large step in the Department’s direction of working toward a paperless department.
The Abilene Police Department Patrol Division works from a six company configuration with four, ten hour days, fixed shifts, and fixed days off. Each company is managed by a lieutenant who reports to a deputy chief. Each company contains two or three squads, and each squad is supervised by a sergeant. A squad includes several patrol officers who work the same days and hours. Actual duty hours and number of officers per squad varies by company and squad. Squad size and duty hours are determined by analyzing work load. Officer assignment within the squads is determined once a year by seniority.
A normal duty week for a patrol officer consists of four ten-hour days. Officers work Sunday through Wednesday, or Wednesday through Saturday. This means that all patrol companies are assigned to work on Wednesdays, and therefore it is the only work day that may have varying hours. As all patrol officers are on duty on Wednesdays, that day is used as a training day for officers and to fill in some areas that need help elsewhere in the department. This scheduling has provided our department with a consistent training day each week that we can use to give officers the latest techniques and information in the law enforcement field. Our officers are offered about five times the amount of annual in-service training required by the state for law enforcement officers. Other assignments used on these fully staffed Wednesdays include assistance to the Investigations and Street Crimes Units, special patrols to target specific crimes or crime areas, conducting community-oriented policing projects, serving warrants, and providing selected traffic enforcement.
The primary purposes of the Abilene Police Department Traffic Division are to make the streets and highways safer for the motoring public and to provide quality service for the citizens by maintaining or improving our current level of service in special functions, Neighborhood Improvement Programs, and safety programs. accident investigations, traffic enforcement, community beautification, and special functions.
The Traffic Division is a specialized unit designed to help relieve the Patrol Division from most of the responsibilities of traffic related incidents and events. By providing specially trained personnel at needed time periods, this unit aids the Department's overall resources to achieve the desired objectives.
The Traffic Division consists of one Sergeant, two Hit and Run Investigators, two Traffic Officers, four Motorcycle Officers and one civilian Impound Facility Coordinator. Duty shifts are staggered to gave traffic officers on the street from 7:00 a.m. through 6:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Each sworn officer is trained in the latest, state-of-the-art techniques of accident investigation, and the division has several Accident Reconstruction Specialists. All division officers rotate a weekly, on-call 24 hours-a-day status, enabling a two-man team of Traffic Investigators to respond to all motor vehicle accidents involving fatalities, potential fatalities, felony Hit and Runs, and fleet accidents. Officers are not only responsible for accident investigations, but are also responsible for:
The Traffic Division also oversees the Vehicle Impound Facility, which is staffed by one civilian employee. The hours of operation for this facility are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, although we impound and release vehicles 24 hours a day. This facility handles abandoned vehicles, evidence vehicles, traffic hazards, and vehicles turned over to the Police Department by garage keepers. Vehicles impounded and remain unclaimed are sold at a public auction.
Through each one of our highly trained and skilled officers and dedicated personnel, we strive to maintain the highest level of professionalism to insure the safest traffic environment possible for all of the public we serve.
The Abilene Police Department formed its canine unit in January 1996 after several public fund raising projects. Four dogs were purchased from the Tracking Dog Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands and delivered in mid February. All of the dogs are German Shepherds, with two coming from West Germany and two from The Czech Republic.
The dogs are trained for handler protection, narcotics search, tracking, and evidence search. They are all certified through the U.S. Police Canine Association.
In the early spring of 1995, several officers with the Abilene Police Department proposed the forming of a Police Bicycle Unit. The plan was simply stated; if the administration would allow the officers to form the unit, the officers would provide their own equipment, uniforms, etc., and would work for compensated time. The officers told the department that the unit would work, would make the department look good, and that the pilot program wouldn't cost the department any funds. Chief Melvin Martin readily saw the merits of such a program, and in March 1995 five officers organized the unit. Perhaps the greatest selling point of having a bicycle officer is that it places the officer in direct contact with the public he serves.
The Abilene Police Department Bicycle Unit was set up in a unique fashion. Even though Bicycle Units in other cities such as Dallas and Ft. Worth were looked at, those cities have very different problems and problem areas (such as congested downtown areas) and therefore their programs were not totally applicable to our situation. The pilot program for our unit was set up to see if the need was justified to use officers for bicycle work.
The Bike Unit is made up of volunteers from throughout the department. Since each of the members works a regular 40 hour assignment, bike work is done primarily on off-duty time. We work a four day/ten hour shift with three days off. The compensated time accumulated by members of the Bike Unit is often "paid back" during the day scheduled for directed assignments. The idea was that the Bike Unit's work would not take officers off patrol where they are needed.
Originally, the bikes were used for civic functions, such as parades, charity walks, and special programs at the Coliseum. Chief Martin has stated that the bikes have been the most effective public relations tool in the department's history. The public response at civic events has been incredible. The Bike Unit officers have been exceptionally well received.
Our success has not been limited to just civic events. In the private sector, several large car lots were having costly vandalism and theft problems. Their lots were large, encompassing entire city blocks, and were closed to anything but foot traffic with fencing. This fencing made standard police patrols difficult and therefore criminal activity at the lots was substantial. One of the Bike Unit officers contacted the dealerships about placing off-duty bike officers in the car lots. The objectives were twofold. First, the visible night patrols of bike officers added a perception of safety to patrons who frequented the lots in the evenings. Second, the bikes would be effective in deterring or apprehending thieves and vandals. In the ten month period since the Bike Unit starting working the car dealerships, there has only been one incident of vandalism.
These situations proved that officers on bikes were extremely successful for civic functions and for security in the private sector. However, the unit was wanting to establish itself as a viable policing tool. This opportunity presented itself when the department started getting complaints about problems in one particular section of downtown. The area in question was about a six block section of downtown and hosted three nightclubs, two coffee shops, an ice cream parlor, and a bus depot. It proved to be an ideal place to police on bikes, and therefore officers were placed in this area on weekends for overtime money. Officers working this detail have made marijuana drug arrests and even a DWI arrest. The unit therefore was recognized as being a legitimate part of the policing structure of the department.
Original equipment for the unit consisted of some personally owned bikes and some bikes from the Property Section. The bikes were painted and worked on by members of the unit. In time, the need to expand the unit to ten officers was realized. As a result of some subtle campaigning, a private donor provided the unit with six new Trek 7000 police bikes at a cost of $600 each. Another organization was aware of needs and donated $1000 to be used to purchase racks, bags, and lights for the bikes.
Uniforms were originally made by cutting off uniform pants into shorts. These modified uniforms looked alright but were not appropriate for bike riding. After a year in those uniforms, the department stepped in and purchased some excellent bike uniforms, including winter pants. This money was the first money that was provided by the department. The first year cost the department nothing.
Originally set up as a pilot program, the effectiveness of such an approach to policing has now been proven. The department is now purchasing a bike to replace one of marginal quality that had been used, and a federal grant has been obtained for 1000 hours of overtime dollars to be used in the next two years for the unit. The unit's goal is to establish itself as such a necessary tool that the department would establish a full time four-officer bike unit. The remaining six officers in the Bike Unit would continue to serve in the volunteer program to augment the full time unit.
The Bike Unit has proven to be so popular and successful that the police departments of two local universities have organized bike units, and the ambulance service has begun to use bikes at large civic functions. Our training began with the Dallas Police Department's Bike Unit, and two officers from the unit attended training at that city when the unit first started.
The Abilene Police Department Bike Unit was the dream of Lt. Craig Fullerton. Chief Martin was quick to see the potential in the use of the patrol and he has continued to be supportive of the program. The unit is an example of how a medium size city can benefit from a program tailored to the needs of the community. It doesn't reduce the number of officers on patrol and is an extremely successful and valuable public relations tool. The key to a successful unit is to select officers who excel with people and who genuinely care about the people they serve.
Almost any city can benefit from policing on bikes as long as it tailors the program to the city's needs. Begin with a few resourceful officers who take an aggressive approach to reaching their community. The costs to implement bikes on a trial basis can be very minimal, and it allows a department to measure the community's receptiveness to the program. Our city and department have been completely receptive to the Bike Unit.
We respond to street level crime problems by identifying the persons and places responsible, focusing on repeat offenders. We take action to eliminate or decrease the activity by using the latest technology and non-traditional policing methods. We also share intelligence information which will be used to develop action plans to combat criminal activity. The Responsive Intelligence Division (RID) is comprised of two parts, the Intelligence Unit and the Street Crimes Unit.
The Intelligence Unit is comprised of two crime analysts (one civilian/one officer), a civilian crime prevention specialist, and the sex offender registry officer. These personnel are supervised by a sergeant. The Intel Unit will provide bulletins, updates, crime trends, and essential crime information to the department.
The Street Crimes unit is comprised of four officers and a sergeant. This unit is responsible for investigating repeat and career criminals. This unit will also assist the geo commanders with problems in their areas.
The Criminal Investigation Division (CID) includes several functions in addition to the traditional detective squads. The Crime Stoppers program for Abilene and Taylor County is attached to CID. The Abilene Taylor County Child Advocacy Center is also attached to CID. Crime Analysis and the Identification Unit operate under the CID umbrella. The more traditional investigation roles are divided into three units: Crime Against Persons, Crime Against Property, and Fraud. The thirty-five employees of CID include one Lieutenant, four Sergeants, nineteen Detectives, one Crime Stoppers Coordinator, two Crime Analysts, two Criminalist Officers, one Forensic Specialist, one Child Advocacy Center Director and three Administrative Clerks.
The Persons Unit investigates offenses such as homicide, sexual assault, robbery, assault, harassment, etc. in which a person is injured, endangered, or threatened. Homicides and robberies are the more publicized of these crimes. Fortunately, they do not comprise the majority of the work load. Many of these crimes are fights and family violence that require a great deal of arbitration and interviewing to resolve. They also include physical and sexual abuse of children, and two of the unit's eight detectives are assigned to the Child Advocacy Center. They work exclusively on child abuse cases.
The Property Unit investigates crimes such as burglaries, car burglaries, theft, criminal mischief, etc.. The seven detectives in this unit constantly try to identify crime trends and intervene in addition to solving numerous individual offenses. One of the Property detectives is assigned to inspect Pawn Shops and maintain up-to-date files on pawned items. This program alone recovers $80,000 to $100,000 of stolen property each year. Even when criminal prosecution is not possible, the unit strives to help victims recover their loss.
The Fraud Unit investigates forgeries, credit card abuse, scams and other related offenses. The three Fraud detectives do not investigate hot checks. The District Attorney's Office handles all hot checks. Check forgeries and abuse of credit/debit cards involve lengthy paper trails for detectives to pursue. They also rely on fingerprints, handwriting analysis, and seasoned interviewing skills. Fraud detectives are also active in education and information sharing among local businesses to help minimize loss to fraud.
The Crime Stoppers Program is designed to obtain information from those sources that have knowledge about Felony crimes, but are reluctant, for whatever reason, to come forward. Crime Stoppers offers these individuals anonymity and a financial reward for the information they provide. The main purpose of the Crime Stoppers program is to obtain information on felony cases through sources not available to case investigators.
Abilene Crime Stoppers, Inc. will continue to solve felony crimes and increase the amount of stolen property recovered and the amount of narcotics confiscated through public awareness advertising. Crime Stoppers, will solve juvenile crimes in our public school system through Campus Crime Stoppers Programs. For more information on the Crime Stoppers program you can visit the Crime Stoppers Web Site at http://www.abilenecrimestoppers.com.
CID is assigned over thirty-six hundred cases for follow-up investigation annually. That is only a small portion of offenses reported. In some cases, the responding patrol officer completed the investigation and did not require a detective. The department also employs a system to prioritize criminal investigations. It is accomplished by applying solvability factors to each case report. All major cases such as murder, sexual assault, robbery or property loss over $10,000 are automatically assigned. Other factors considered in the prioritization process include the known identity of the offender, the presence of witnesses, the presence of physical evidence, and the possibility of tracing property. In other words, the major cases and those most likely to be solved are assigned first. While this system is not perfect, it helps focus efforts on the most serious crime problems of the community. Patrol officers and detectives are encouraged to be candid about the solvability of each case in order to provide a realistic expectation of services.
The general working hours of CID and the Advocacy Center are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. However, all detectives have the opportunity to change their schedules for reasonable needs of victims and witnesses. Also, all detectives respond to emergency calls relating to their assignment.
The Youth Division is comprised of Fifteen personnel; Four Investigators, eight school resource officers, two Sergeants, one Lieutenant, and a Secretary.
The mission of the division, in short, is to provide for the care, protection, and wholesome moral, mental, and physical development of children in it's jurisdiction. At the same time, the division's mission includes protecting the community from unlawful acts committed by children. The division is committed to these functions through effective investigation of juvenile crime, while stressing proactive programming that seeks to prevent juvenile crime.
The Youth Division's Investigative Unit is charged with the primary responsibility of investigating all offenses in the community committed by juveniles. The unit does not investigate crimes against children unless the suspect is also a juvenile. This has the advantage of allowing the investigators to work almost exclusively within the juvenile system without also requiring them to be expert on the adult system.
The Investigative Unit also investigates all cases of missing persons reported to the department. This is a natural outgrowth of the unit's investigation of runaway cases as they tend to develop an expertise in locating persons, many of which do not wish their whereabouts to be known. The last major responsibility of the Investigative Unit is the investigation of child custody cases. Since many of these cases involve missing children as well as parents, this was once again a logical assignment for the unit. The unit was the leader in developing a process, locally, for the recovery of children and the prosecution of those who violate child custody statutes.
The Division's School Resource Officer Program began in the fall of 1990 with the assignment of a single officer to the campus of Abilene High School. From the onset, it was understood that the primary responsibilities of the officer would be in the areas of education, public relations, and guidance services rather than strictly law enforcement purposes. The S.R.O. is responsible for handling any offenses or investigations which happen on the school campus; however, this function is considered secondary to the others listed.
The initial S.R.O. proved to be so well accepted and effective that a second was soon assigned to Cooper High School. The program has expanded to include an S.R.O. at each middle school and also one for the Wylie Independent School District. This program is credited with being one of the best community projects provided by the department.
The Special Operations Division of the Abilene Police Department was formed in June 1994 by combining Narcotics and Street Crimes into one division with two separate but interacting units. The mission is therefore two fold. Narcotics is tasked to make a positive impact upon local illicit drug trafficking and drug abusers to decrease the availability of controlled substances within the community. Narcotics also has a K-9 program and the responsibility to work highway interdiction on drug trafficking. Street crimes is tasked to identify career criminals, repeat offenders, patterns of organized violence, property crimes, and to employ proactive methods to reduce criminal activity. Street Crimes also has the responsibility to recover stolen property, and to prevent some crimes from occurring.
By combining Narcotics and Street Crimes into one division, the department has increased the effectiveness and efficiency of both units by utilizing the current manpower and resources more effectively. Members of each unit are cross trained and can work either assignment, thus reducing manpower problems to a minimum.
The Special Operations Division is committed to the citizens of Abilene to help provide a safe community in which to live and work. We can accomplish this only by working together. If you have or suspect a drug problem or on-going criminal activity in your neighborhood, you may contact us at 325-676-6650. All information is confidential. You don't have to feel like a victim. We need your help.
Located on the second floor of the Law Enforcement Center, Abilene Taylor County Child Advocacy Center (ATCCAC) is one of more than 60 Children’s Advocacy Centers across the State of Texas. It is unique in that it was among the first Centers to be established in the State, thanks largely to the progressive vision of Abilene’s community leaders, who saw a need to provide child advocacy services to area families.
The ATCCAC was established in 1995 with generous financial assistance from the community, as a program of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Abilene Police Department. While many other Child Advocacy Centers have been established since that time, they are exclusively private non-profit organizations. Abilene PD remains the only police department in the state that provides this service to the community as part of its regular responsibilities. Funding for the ATTCAC comes primarily from the citizens of Abilene through the Police Department. We also receive funds from Taylor County, and from state and federal grantors. ATTCAC also receives regular private donations.
ATCCAC is an interagency, multidisciplinary program. The purpose of the ATCCAC, and in fact all Child Advocacy Centers across the country, is to facilitate cooperative joint investigations of cases of major child abuse and neglect; essentially bringing all of the various community partners together simultaneously, so that the best possible investigation can be done with the least negative impact upon the child and the family.
The ATCAC strives to minimize the potential damage caused by multiple interviews by creating a safe, respectful, and family-friendly environment where the child can be given the opportunity to tell their story. Every child is interviewed by a trained and unbiased forensic interviewer in a controlled environment. A forensic interview is an interview where the goal is to obtain facts, the interviewer is neutral, detail gathering is imperative, and the questioning format is strictly governed. Each interview is witnessed via video and a one-way mirror by law enforcement and/or CPS investigators, and a mental health counselor who each have the ability to provide feedback to the interviewer. Each interview is recorded on a DVD and stands as the child’s statement regarding the offense. While this process does not guarantee that a child will not be re-interviewed, or made to testify in a criminal case, it dramatically reduces the likelihood of this happening.
Each family completes an intake form and they are informed about free counseling available through the Regional Crime Victim Crisis Center. If there are other needs that are identified through the intake form or through talking to the family ATCCAC staff will meet these needs if possible or provide information about community resources available to meet these needs.
The community can help support the Child Advocacy Center through donations of time, money, or talents. If you are interested in making a difference in the lives of hurting children, please give us a call and we will find a way you can help.
If you suspect child abuse or neglect you are required by law to report by calling 1-800-252-5400.
The Abilene Police Department Training Division is housed at the Warren Dodson Police Training Complex just North of Abilene. The mission of the Training Division is to recruit and select the best qualified candidates for the position of Police Officer, to provide meaningful and effective entry-level training, and to provide in-service training and weapons proficiency training to all police personnel. Staffing for the division includes a Lieutenant, who is the Director of Training for the department, two Training Officers, one Range master, and a civilian office manager.
The Training Division's job description is extremely varied, ranging from the development of training curriculum and lesson plans, to research and development. All use of force and weapons policy is developed through the division, and it serves as the center for testing and evaluation for many new police products that come onto the police market.
The Training Division is made up of two components. The Abilene Police Academy is the home of the basic law enforcement academy that serves to supply the Abilene Police Department with its officers. It is the coordinating point for police recruiting, testing, and background investigations, as well as housing the actual classroom facilities for the academy. Most departmental in-service training is also conducted at the academy facilities. The Police Academy serves as the records keeper for the Abilene Police Department, and is the link between the department and the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education, which is the certifying agency for law enforcement officers in Texas. The academy also serves as the coordinating point for the Abilene Police Department Citizen Police Academy.
The second component of the Training Division is the Police Firing Range. The range serves as the training location for all police firearms certification and re-certification, and is used for other specialized firearms and weapons training. Being the only all-weather range available to police agencies in this region, the Police Firing Range hosts numerous agencies for firearms training and qualification. Agencies using the range include the FBI, the U.S. Border Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the Taylor County Sheriff's Department, and other various surrounding police and sheriff agencies. The Police Firing Range has an asphalt, twenty lane firing range for handguns, and a rifle range with target stands at fifty and one hundred yards.
The latest addition to the complex is the Police Tactical Obstacle Course. The course was designed and built by our Tactical Unit, and is used in continuing training for members of our department as well as officers from around the area. In our continuing effort to maintain the excellent relationship between the Abilene Police Department and Dyess Air Force Base, the O-course is used by specialized units from Dyess for training. The course is extremely difficult and physically challenging, and involves running, jumping, climbing and the circumventing or accomplishing of physical barriers or tasks. It is about 1.5 miles long and currently has 27 different obstacles.
The mission of the Communications Division is to provide quality service to the public safety departments, enabling these agencies to perform their duties effectively; to provide requested and quality services to the citizens in a timely and courteous manner; to maintain high standards of professionalism.
The Communications Division is an essential link between the public and emergency assistance. Emergency and non-emergency calls for assistance are received through 'Enhanced 9-1-1' (E 9-1-1), police and fire non-emergency phone lines. Hearing impaired callers are assisted through the TDD phone line.
The Communications Division is the lifeline of the Department. Communications operators are the link between the citizen in need and the responding personnel. Dispatchers relay key information to responding police units, provide pre-arrival medical assistance (via protocol charts), notify local ambulance service providers and fire departments. Dispatchers are also able to provide reassurance and understanding to the citizen in need when an emergency occurs. The Communications Division is also relied upon to assist in the safety of on-scene fire and police personnel.
In recent years, organizations in both the private and public sectors have come to realize that controlling information, rather than resources, is a key to success. This theory is central to the success of a law enforcement agency, where criminal histories, investigations, statistics, and intelligence information provide the backbone for understanding and fighting crime.
In the Abilene Police Department, information is gathered by officers throughout the department in the course of crime prevention, intervention, and investigation. In order to make information gathered by one division accessible to all others, all information is funneled to one location where it can be processed, stored, and reviewed conveniently. This central hub for information is the Records Section. Property and Evidence works in association with the Records Division to provide support services for the Department. In March 1996, a civilian manager was appointed to head the division. In November of 1997, a civilian supervisor was added to oversee the production of services rendered by the Records Division.
Records/Property and Evidence (PED) is a multi-functional Division in the Support Services Bureau. It is comprised of a Manager, a supervisor, eleven (11) Records Administrative Clerks, two (2) PED Custodians and one (1) Civilian Breath Test Operator. Administrative Clerks logs-in, processes, enters data, stores data, transcribes supplements and file cases. PED Custodians book-in and release property and evidence; store, maintain security, safety and accountability for property and evidence.
While the primary goal of the Records Division is to provide support for other divisions, a considerable portion of our time is spent working directly with the public. Administrative clerks provide citizens with several services such as providing accident and offense reports. Information is also gathered and prepared for local media representatives by Records Personnel.
All requests for information must be in writing. Release of information is done in accordance with the Texas Public Information or the Freedom of Information Act. In all, the Records Division processes and maintains nearly 26,000 cases each year.
Providing information to the Public is essential to the Operation of the Records Division, The cost of providing Public Information to citizens is based on guidelines provided by the General Services Commission.
Police Reports may be obtained at the Records window of the Police Department Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Records Window will be closed Saturday-Sunday but impounded Vehicles can still be released on Saturday & Sunday by contacting the Desk Officer.
Charges effective: 9-01-2005
Fax Charges
Two sworn officers and one civilian staff the Identification Division of the Abilene Police Department. Duties of this division include processing of physical evidence for latent prints, and identification of these prints by comparison with suspects, if suspects are known. Latent prints are also entered into the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which compares latent prints lifted from crime seen evidence against the fingerprints of thousands of known offenders. Other duties require the examination of questioned documents, such as forgeries, etc., where they perform handwriting analysis to determine the author of a document.
The Identification Division provides fingerprinting services for the public upon request. They provide the service from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. There is a ten-dollar fee charged for this service.
Every night on the local or national news, we hear stories about drug related crimes, bank robberies, murder, and other terrible events. These stories tend to focus on the criminal - was he arrested? Was he convicted? How will he be sentenced? One interesting bit of information which we often fail to consider is what happens to the evidence - the drugs, the money, or the murder weapon.
The Abilene Police Department, like most law enforcement agencies, considers the care and control of property and evidence to be a very high priority in policing. In order to control this process as effectively and efficiently as possible, A.P.D. funnels all property or evidence associated with a crime to one central location for processing and storing: the Property and Evidence Section.
The Abilene Police Department Property and Evidence Division (PED for short) is a three-member unit in the Records Division. It is responsible for the care, custody, and control of all property recovered by the department and all evidence generated during the investigation of a crime. Like the Records Section and the Communications Division, PED is staffed entirely by civilians. The staff members are trained in police procedures to ensure that all items processed by PED are handled under strict standards which will stand even the closest scrutiny.
The items processed through PED are broken down into two basic classifications: property or evidence. Property is generally an item which is stolen then recovered by a citizen or police officer, or an item which is simply found by a citizen and reported to the police department. The Abilene Police Department recovers thousands of pieces of property each year, including bicycles, tools and equipment, sporting goods, stereo equipment, and guns. Bicycles are by far the most commonly recovered items - nearly 350 are taken in yearly.
When property comes to PED, it is booked into a secure vault for safekeeping while the property custodians attempt to find the rightful owner. In some cases the property is easily traced to the owner and released in a matter of days. In many other cases, no information exists to begin a search, so the property may sit in the vault unclaimed. Once a year, the City of Abilene holds a public auction where unclaimed property from the A.P.D. vault may be sold.
Literally thousands of property items go unclaimed each year. If you believe that you may have property stored in our vault, you may contact PED at (325) 676-6580 to inquire about procedures for finding or claiming your lost or stolen items. PED is open for calls or to return property from 8:00 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Of course, the best solution to the problem of unclaimed property is PREVENTION. Contact the Abilene Police Department Community Services Division at (325) 676-6520 for information on programs such as Operation Bike Find and Operation Identification.
The second classification of items handled by PED is Evidence. An item is considered to be evidence if it relates in some form to the commission of a crime which is currently under investigation. Photographs, latent fingerprints, drugs, weapons, and money are examples of common types of evidence booked in with PED.
Evidence, due to the nature of how it is used in an investigation and scrutinized at trial, is handled in a slightly different manner than property. Chain of custody (documentation of who examines, handles, or takes possession of an item) is strictly monitored, and the items are kept secured in the department's primary vault where entry is very restricted. These measures are necessary to protect and control thousands of dollars in cash, a large inventory of illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia, and a wide selection of firearms.
Evidence is maintained in PED at the discretion of PED personnel and investigators until a case reaches a conclusion. The evidence is then returned to the rightful owner, destroyed in compliance with state and federal laws, or used by the department in the course of investigation and fighting crime.