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 Tuscaloosa Police Department’s Patrol Division is the largest division within the Police Department. The Patrol Division currently works from four locations: Headquarters, West Precinct, East Precinct, and Downtown Precinct. Headquarters is the administrative center for the Patrol Division. Headquarters is the base of operation for the Patrol Commander, Field Training Officer Program and K9 officers.
The CID investigates property crimes and misdemeanors occurring within the city limits and police jurisdiction. This includes burglaries, robberies, thefts, financial crimes and domestic violence cases.
The Juvenile Division has School Resource Officers working in the middle and high schools to deter crime and build rapport with the students and faculty of the Tuscaloosa City Schools.
West Alabama Narcotics Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional task force. TPD, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Northport Police Department and the University of Alabama Police Department provide the officers and supervisors who staff the task force. The Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s Office provides the prosecutorial services for the task force. WANTF is charged with investigating all felony narcotics offenses in Tuscaloosa County.
