Established in 1971, the Tuscaloosa Police Department Helicopter Division is the oldest, full-time law enforcement aviation unit in the state of Alabama. The primary mission of the Helicopter Division is to provide aerial support to patrol and investigative divisions of the Tuscaloosa Police Department and surrounding law enforcement agencies in neighboring counties.
The primary mission of the Traffic Division is to enforce traffic laws and investigate traffic accidents throughout the City of Tuscaloosa. The Traffic Division also investigates hit-and-run accidents that occur on the roadways and on private property within the city limits.
The Patrol Division is the largest division within TPD. Each officer works a 10-hour shift, four days a week. All officers are based out of TPD headquarters, and are assigned to regularly patrol one of eight beats throughout the city. Officers assigned to the patrol division may take on additional duties, serving as field training officers, mental health officers or as a member of many other specialized units.
The Criminal Investigations Division handles approximately 7,500 cases per year. Cases range from violent armed robberies and home invasions to organized vehicle theft rings and complex fraud schemes. The division is organized into units that investigate different types of crimes, including burglary, theft, financial crimes, juvenile crimes, family crimes and misdemeanor offenses.
School Resource Officers work full-time within Tuscaloosa City Schools. The officers work to deter crime and build rapport with students and faculty. These officers serve as a bridge between the campuses and the police department, maintain trust and open lines of communication. SROs provide a rapid response during potential crisis situations to protect students and staff, conduct security assessments, monitor campus activity and work closely with school officials to investigate incidents. Our SROs strive to create a safe, secure and positive learning environment.
The West Alabama Narcotics Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional task force with officers from TPD, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Northport Police Department and the University of Alabama Police Department. WANTF investigates all felony narcotics offenses in the county, often collaborating with other jurisdictions and federal task forces.
The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit is a multi-jurisdictional task force with officers from TPD, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Northport Police Department and the University of Alabama Police Department. VCU investigates all violent crimes that occur in the county, including homicides, serious assaults, sexual assault and abuse.
The VICE Task Force enforces ordinances related to alcohol sales, overcrowding, health code violations, and other public safety issues. The unit oversees the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force, a multi-agency unit that conducts in-depth investigations into human trafficking operations, with a focus on combating the exploitation of vulnerable individuals through forced and coerced commercial sex work.
Officers assigned to the Lakes Division respond to an average of 200 calls annually. They are responsible for patrolling 177 miles of shoreline, the Black Warrior River as well as the 6,489 acres that make up Lake Tuscaloosa, Lake Nichol and Lake Harris.
TPD is the only local agency in the state with an internationally accredited lab that perform forensic services. Analysts with the Forensic Services Division have extensive training to conduct fingerprint and firearms examinations in-house, expediting investigations and strengthening prosecutions.
Officers and analysts in the Cyber Crimes Division use drones, security camera networks and crime data to assist every division within the department. Their ability to assist officers in real time provides situational awareness that helps guide responding officers safely and effectively. Analysts use data to help department leadership make evidence-based decisions about resource deployment and crime prevention strategies.