The
Poland
Township
Police
Department
began
to
provide
services
on
January
1,
1978.
Former
township
trustees,
David
Ludt,
Nick
Jeswald,
and
Jack
Raupple
hired
Lee
Goodin
to
be
the
first
Chief
of
Police.
The
original
staff
included
a
Chief
of
Police,
four
full
time
patrol
officers,
and
four
reserve
officers.
As
of
January
1,
2001
the
police
department
has
an
authorized
strength
of
twelve
(12)
full
time
sworn
officers,
six
(6)
casual
sworn
officers,
(6)
auxiliary
sworn
officers,
one
(1)
youth
diversion
specialist,
and
two
(2)
clerical
support
staff.
|
Lionel
(Lee)
Goodin
First
Police
Chief
|
The
Chief
of
Police
is
charged
with
the
responsibility
of
overseeing
the
operations
of
the
department.
The
department
has
two
(2)
Sergeants
who
oversee
the
patrol
division
and
one
(1)
Detective/Sergeant
who
oversees
the
investigative
division.
Specialized
positions
include
but
are
not
limited
to
the
following:
1.
D.A.R.E.
2.
Certified
Firearms
Instructor
3.
Field
Training
Officers
(2)
4.
Traffic
Specialist
5.
Operations
Officer
6.
Youth
Diversion
Specialist
The
Police
department
operates
out
of
a
facility,
which
is
located
at
3339
Dobbins
Road.
The
police
department
vehicle
fleet
is
comprised
of
seven
(7)
marked
patrol
units
and
two
(2)
unmarked
vehicles.
In
addition
to
the
routine
duties
and
responsibilities
The
Poland
Township
Police
Department
perform,
there
are
many
more
programs
that
are
offered.
Some
officers
are
also
assigned
to
programs
outside
the
department.
is
designed
to
deter
youthful
offenders
from
the
Juvenile
Justice
System.
Depending
on
the
severity
of
the
crime,
offenders
are
placed
in
the
program
and
must
follow
a
stringent
set
of
guidelines.
The
parents
are
also
involved
in
an
attempt
to
rectify
the
problems
whether
it
is
in
school
or
at
home.
If
the
offender
does
not
comply
with
all
of
the
aspects
of
the
program,
he
or
she
will
then
be
placed
in
the
Juvenile
Justice
System.
has
been
in
existence
for
8
years.
It
is
taught
in
the
Holy
Family
School
as
well
as
the
Poland
School
System
at
the
fifth
grade
level.
The
purpose
of
this
program
is
to
educate
students
on
what
drugs
can
do
to
you
and
ways
to
say
no
as
well
as
how
to
feel
good
about
yourself
thus
keeping
drug
free
and
out
of
trouble.
 A
recent
addition
to
the
Police
Department
is
.
This
is
a
program
where
McGruff
goes
to
the
schools
and
teaches
students
many
different
aspects
of
safety.
He
is
aided
by
audio
tapes
that
have
the
students
participate
in
songs
and
exercises
related
to
such
things
as
being
home
alone,
not
talking
to
strangers,
and
related
programs.
Some
members
of
the
Police
Department
are
also
assigned
to
a
.
Having
members
from
our
department
as
part
of
a
specialized
unit
allows
us
to
utilize
their
services
if
a
problem
were
to
arise
in
our
township.
was
established
and
has
done
very
well
in
getting
acquainted
with
the
residents
on
a
more
personal
level.
When
officers
are
in
residential
areas,
they
are
able
to
observe
more
and
are
also
less
conspicuous
than
a
marked
cruiser.
Approximately
2
years
ago,
a
mobile
data
system
was
installed
in
the
patrol
vehicles.
This
enables
officers
to
receive
information
on
vehicles
and
drivers
license
without
using
the
police
radio.
An
average
response
time
for
information
is
3-4
seconds.
Silent
communications
between
officers
and
additional
departments
on
the
system
is
also
available.
Eventually,
reports
will
be
able
to
be
completed
in
the
patrol
vehicle,
forwarded
to
the
department
and
then
printed
allowing
the
officer
to
spend
more
time
patrolling
the
area.
The
Poland
Township
Police
Department
is
dedicated
to
the
needs
and
responsibilities
of
the
residents.
It
is
also
on
a
never
ending
quest
to
go
above
and
beyond
to
keep
each
and
every
officer
safe
in
his
and
her
performance
of
their
duties.
|
HISTORY
