Official Website of Lake Havasu City

The Operations Division is comprised of all patrol, specialized and investigative units of the Police Department. The Operations Captain leads three Lieutenants who manage dayshift patrol, swing patrol, nightshift patrol, and investigations bureaus.

The Dayshift Patrol Lieutenant oversees two patrol squads, the Traffic Bureau, School Resource Bureau and field volunteers.

The Swing and Nightshift Lieutenant oversees four patrol squads, a special assignments unit (Street crimes officers, K-9, watercraft and special events) and the SWAT team.

The Investigations Lieutenant oversees the Criminal Investigations Bureau (General crimes including crimes against persons and children, property crimes, financial crimes and other incidents requiring in-depth investigation.) and the Special Investigations Bureau (Narcotics and vice).

The function of the patrol division is the protection of the lives and property of the citizens of Lake Havasu City, maintaining the public order, preventing and deterring crime through uniformed appearance and responding to calls for service.

The patrol division is made up of six squads of officers who are supervised by six sergeants. There is also a day shift watch commander (Lieutenant) and a night shift watch commander (Lieutenant). The patrol officers engage in a wide variety of activities such as crime prevention, responding to calls for service, investigation of crimes, traffic accidents and direction, maintaining public order, emergency services, development of good relationships with citizens, and reporting to appropriate entities. Patrol officers shall thoroughly investigate and document incidents, and arrest violators for violations of city ordinances and state statues. The patrol division is considered the front line of the Police department and is the only function other than dispatch that is working 24 hours a day seven days a week 365 days a year.

The patrol division encourages cooperation, communication, and coordination, to accomplish the department mission of ensuring a safe and secure community.

Investigation of reported crimes through identification techniques.
Apprehension and conviction of offenders.
The recovery and return of stolen property.
Conducting follow-up and investigation of serious crimes.

The Investigations Division is commanded by a division lieutenant, who is responsible to the Operations Commander. The division is comprised of two bureaus each of which is under the direct supervision of a Sergeant.

Criminal Investigations Bureau (CIB)

The Criminal Investigations Bureau is made up of three details investigating persons crimes, property crimes and frauds. Assignment of cases is determined by:

Type of crime
Specialized skill
Knowledge and ability required to conduct investigation

Special Investigations Bureau (SIB)

The Special Investigations Bureau is primarily responsible for suppressing the illegal sale and distribution of controlled substances. S.I.B. is part of the M.A.G.N.E.T. (Mohave Area General Narcotics Enforcement Team) task force.

Street Crimes Unit

The Lake Havasu City Police Department Street Crimes Unit (SCU) is a proactive policing unit which monitors crime trends and investigates street level criminal activity. They also monitor all city liquor licenses and liquor establishments.

Members of SCU also liaise with school/youth officers and assist with youth and gang issues as they arise. They also liaise with other law enforcement agencies including Probation, other Police Agencies, and Immigration Officials and assist in locating and arresting wanted persons.

The Street Crimes Unit is part of the Department Special Assignment Unit which is under the direction of a Sergeant. Special Assignments includes Watercraft, Canine, and Street Crimes.

Traffic Bureau

The Lake Havasu City Traffic Bureau ensures safe roadways for the citizens of Lake Havasu City by reducing traffic crashes through engineering, education and enforcement.

The Lake Havasu City Police Departments Traffic Bureau consists of three units, Enforcement Unit, Motor Unit, and Traffic Crimes Unit.

G.I.I.T.E.M.

The Lake Havasu City Police Department aggressively identifies and monitors gang activity. The department participates in the Arizona State Gang Task Force, G.I.I.T.E.M. (Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission).

Officers from agencies throughout Mohave County and the Department of Public Safety participate in G.I.I.T.E.M. and combine to take a strong and coordinated stance against gang and street violence.

Parents and citizens should be aware of some of the characteristics of gang members or gang imitators. Prevention is the key to keeping our youth away from gangs. **While each of these items viewed separately, are not signs of gang involvement, viewed together they may indicate gang involvement.**

Association with a new set of friends while ignoring old friends or family members.
Change of hair style and/or clothing or associating with people who all have the same hair style and/or same clothing.
Indications of drug, alcohol or inhalant abuse.
Change in attitude about things the youth used to enjoy, including sports, scouts, church, or family.
Youth becomes a disciplinary problem at school, in public, or at home.
Youth no longer accepts authority and challenges it frequently.
Problems at school, such as failing classes, "skipping," or causing problems in class, being disrespectful to teachers.
Graffiti is present on or around the youth's residence, notebooks or other personal possessions.

Sex Offender Tracking

The Lake Havasu City Police Department's Sex Offender Registration Compliance Team is a specialized detail of Law-Enforcement personnel which consists of approximately twenty street level officers, one detective, one detective sergeant and one civilian employee.

This detail is one of many essential components of the police department's commitment to public safety. Members of this specialized team have received advanced training in the investigational processes of managing registered sex offenders who reside within the jurisdiction of the Lake Havasu City Police Department. Team members contact offenders at various, and unannounced times through out the year to update information, obtain current photographs, and identify indicators suggestive of re-offending behavior.

In an effort to provide the most modern and effective awareness information to our community, the Lake Havasu City Police Department has developed a specialized offender web site.

The Police Department has developed various community notification methods, which include distributing awareness fliers on all Level II and III Offenders who reside in the community. The sex offender tracking unit has developed a school protection program, which provides offender informational booklets containing updated photo's of offenders, all of which are provided to educational institutions. This effective detail is essential to the Police Department and the community. A community empowered with knowledge is better equipped to protect themselves and their families.

SCUBA Team

The Lake Havasu City Police Department SCUBA team consists of six sworn officers and a Sergeant, who is responsible for all training and the proper execution of all dive missions. Each member of the team is required to complete advanced open water certification through one of the world recognized training programs of PATI, NAUI, or SSI. Team members are also required to pass annual evaluation testing, which includes the proper execution of various underwater skills, as well as the completion of rigorous physical fitness requirements.

The SCUBA team's primary function is the search and recovery of grounding victims, evidence and stove and property. However, the team now has one piece portable SCUBA units which can be operational within seconds. These portable units can be carried on board at least one of the agencies patrol boats during the boating season, possibly reducing team's response time to a few minutes. With these portable units this transforming recovery dives in to rescue dives.

As in past years the Lake Havasu City Police Department SCUBA team looks forward to another boating season coordinate rescue and recovery efforts with the Mojave County Sheriff's office and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Our team will endeavor to be of service to the local community as well as its many visitors.