About the Hartford
Police Department
According to the HPD, “The roots of the Hartford Police Department date back to 1636 with
the appointment of Samuel Wakeman to the post of Constable of "Herteford Towne" by the English and Dutch immigrants
who settled in what was alter to become the city of Hartford. Initially the department consisted of citizen
patrols; men assigned to night duty whose responsibility consisted of watching for fires and suspicious persons.
For this, they were paid one dollar a night.
The first official police force was established in the summer of 2860. a year
later the Board of Police Commissioners was installed to oversee the department. The Hartford Police operated
under the direction of the Board of Police Commissioners until 1947.”
Today, the Hartford Police Department is a full service law enforcement agency which is commanding
by three assistance chiefs (Support Services, Detectives and Patrol) who answer to the Chief of Police. In
addition to patrol and investigative functions, the Hartford Police Department has a number of specialized units, including
their Emergency Response Team.
According
to the HPD, “The “Emergency Response Team” is the Hartford Police Department’s version of S.W.A.T.
The team is comprised of 25 Officers from all bureaus of the Department. These Officers are “on call” 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week on a voluntary basis. They are tasked with the responsibility of bringing positive outcomes to High Risk
incidents while minimizing the risk to the citizens of the City of Hartford and other officers.
All officers on the Team are hand selected through
a rigorous process and are required to complete, a 40 hour Basic SWAT school along with attending two days a month of specialty
training. This is coupled with mandatory monthly qualifications on all weapons. The Sniper element of the Team trains an additional
one day a month to further ensure their readiness.”
Source:
Hartford.gov
