The Patrol Division engages in aggressive patrol and crime prevention; it conducts preliminary investigations of most crimes, and the complete investigation of others; it prepares reports relating to crimes or incidents and makes arrests accordingly.  The Patrol Division provides a variety of services to the public, and generally functions as a guardian of public peace.  Patrol officers are also called upon to respond to mutual aid requests from other communities.  In addition to their daily duties, Patrol Division personnel perform a variety of specialty functions which contributes to the overall mission effectiveness of the department.

Evidence Technicians:  Specially trained officers serve as evidence technicians.  They are responsibile for the preservation and collection of physical evidence at crime scenes.  Additionally, evidence technicians identify and inventory physical evidence; take photographs and measurements, draw rough sketches of the scene, and complete reports relative to the crime or accident scene.  Evidence Technicians receive extensive classroom and hands-on training in photography, latent fingerprint collection, physical evidence identification, preservation and collection and overall crime scene processing.

Field Training Officers:  A Field Training Officer (FTO) is a patrol officer who has been trained as an FTO and is recognized for his or her experience, proficiency, and training. The FTO is responsible for the training and evaluation of the probationary officers assigned to them.  The FTO is required to submit daily observation reports to the program supervisor on the progress of the probationary officer.

Technical Accident Investigators:  Technical Accident Investigators are patrol officers who received extensive training in traffic accident investigation, accident reconstruction and vehicle dynamics. These investigators receive their training from organizations such as the Traffic Institute of Northwestern University and the Wisconsin State Patrol. Accident Investigators are responsible for the investigation, measurement and diagramming of serious motor vehicle crashes.

Because of the City's unique layout, patrol officers are responsible for policing three of the state's most heavily traveled thoroughfares, US 241/South 27th Street, County U/South 76th Street and State Hwy 100/South 108th Street. With hundreds of thousands of motorists traveling through the City each day, patrol officers spend a significant amount of time responding to traffic crashes and performing traffic enforcement duties. A team of specially trained Technical Accident Investigators stand ready to respond to the most serious accidents. Patrol officers use high tech equipment such as RADAR and LASER speed monitors to enforce traffic laws.