Akron Police Department is the primary municipal law enforcement agency for the city of Akron, Ohio, United States with 451 employees. The current Police Chief is Stephen L. Mylett.
History
Early Years
The city of Akron was founded in December 1825, where the south part of the downtown Akron neighborhood sits today.The earliest artifact present in the Akron Police Department Museum is a key to the Akron Police Jail from 1890.
The Akron police department was the first police department ever to use a horseless, motorized police vehicle. It was powered by two 4-hp electric motors and could reach a maximum speed of 18 mph travel and travel 30 miles before its battery had to be recharged. It was manufactured by the Collins Buggy Company and designed by city mechanical engineer Frank Loomis. It was operated by officer Louis Mueller Sr. The car was a paddy wagon which waited 5000 pounds and cost $2,400($65,000 in today's money). It had a seating space of 12 people and was equipped with electric headlights, a gong and a cell for prisoners. Its first assignment was to pick up an intoxicated man at Main and Exchange streets. During the Riot of 1900 It was damaged and thrown inside Ohio & Erie Canals by rioters who exchanged fire with police officers who then fled the police headquarters to escape from the burning building. It was rescued the next day and remained in service until 1905 before being sold for $25.
Organization and structure
The Akron Police Department is made up of 3 divisions-the Uniformed subdivision, the Investigative Subdivision and the Services Subdivision. These subdivisions may be further divided into bureaus and specialized units. The uniformed subdivision performs most of the regular police work done by the department. The personnel working in the investigative subdivision are responsible for all the investigative work performed by the department. The personnel serving in the services subdivision perform a variety of administrative and technical tasks related to the maintenance and functioning of the department.
Uniformed subdivision
It is the largest subdivision inside the Akron PD. It is further divided into the Patrol Bureau and the Traffic Bureau.The primary function of the patrol bureau is to respond to calls for service and patrol the neighborhoods of Akron to ensure public order. The Patrol Bureau consists of five patrol platoons in addition to many other specialized units for accomplishing certain specific tasks. The specialized units maintained by the patrol bureau include: