Littleton Police Department

Chief Heather A. Coogan

Mission Statement The mission of the Littleton Police Department, in partnership with our community, is to protect life and property, safeguard constitutional rights, enhance the quality of life, and reduce fear through professionalism, problem solving, and personal commitment.

The Littleton Police Department (LPD) Patrol Division is the “backbone” of the Littleton Police Department. Officers assigned to the Patrol Division have primary responsibility for responding to calls for service received through the Communications Center. These calls include serious to minor crimes, assists to LFR, traffic collisions, welfare checks, and other service related calls. Many calls require multiple officer responses.

The Traffic Unit handles complaints that make up the most prominent concern expressed at city council’s monthly neighborhood meetings. There is one sergeant, five full-time traffic officers, and one full-time parking officer.

The Community Outreach Unit is comprised of the five Selective Enforcement Team (SET) officers, and the three School Resource (SRO) officers. A sergeant supervises the unit. SET Officers are a “task force” that deals with problems that might not otherwise be addressed.

The Detective Division is responsible for the follow-up investigation of major cases which meet certain criterion for solvability. They also conduct all of the city’s liquor license investigations. Civilian and sworn employee candidates for the LPD are subject to extensive background investigations performed by this division. Investigators also serve in mutual aid investigations and are active participants on various investigation task forces.

The LPD is a participating agency in the South Metro Drug Task Force. LPD supplies funding and other resources to the task force, and one full-time investigator/agent.

The Property/Evidence function is responsible for accepting, storing, retrieving, processing or arranging for the processing, shipping, receiving, preserving, releasing and destroying of all items of property and evidence that are picked up by officers or turned in by citizens.

The Victim/Witness Assistance program includes the victim advocate and a volunteer who respond to calls from police officers, supervisors, or investigators to aid victims in the after-math of traumatic episodes.

The Support Services Division is responsible for LPD’s recognition as a nationally accredited law enforcement agency by the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies. The purpose of the Commission is to establish standards of professional excellence for public safety agencies, and to develop and administer a process to ensure compliance with professional excellence.

The LPD Communications Center is a 24-hour, seven-day per week operation that provides the community with emergency telephone contact for police services. In 2006, the LPD Communications Center answered 19,860 E-9-1-1 emergency calls along with ten of thousands of other telephone requests from residents and others.

The Records Section is responsible for assuring correct entry, storage, and dissemination of police reports, citations, and other important documents.

Animal Control has one Humane Officer who is responsible for responding to all animal related complaint calls, picking up and disposing of animal carcasses, picking up and transporting injured domesticated animals, and educating the public on animal related ordinances and care issues.

The Crime Analyst/Planner aids all divisions and functions of the department in identifying and analyzing crime and service patterns, compiling management statistics, and supports grants for various departmental functions.

The Investigations Division Lieutenant has primary responsibility for the LPD’s Public Information and Media Relations services. In this assignment, he is often the first point of contact for citizens who have questions about the department.