Units
The School Resource Officer program enhances the cooperative effort between the Albert Lea Police Department and Albert Lea Area Schools, focusing on the reduction of juvenile crime and delinquency in the schools and community. This partnership provides for shared solutions to common concerns. The program is proactive in its objectives and seeks to establish positive relationships between students and police.
School Resource Officer Adam Conn is assigned to the high school and serves all the Albert Lea schools on the north side.
School Resource Officer David Huse is assigned to Southwest Middle School and serves all the Albert Lea schools on the south side.
They work closely with the students and staff to ensure a safe learning environment. They also work closely with other supportive agencies to deliver the best service to the students, especially those most in need.
The Albert Lea Police Department established its Bike Patrol unit in 1998. The Bike Patrol unit is highly visible and accessible to the community, day or night, seven days a week, throughout Albert Lea. The Bike Patrol unit is comprised of officers licensed under Peace Officer Standards and Training, under the command of Deputy Chief of Police Darren Hanson, who is also a police cyclist instructor.
Community Service Officers (CSO) are non-sworn officer positions. Community Service Officers are responsible for parking enforcement, animal control, maintenance and coordination of the evidence room for the City of Albert Lea Police Department and Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office, as well as safety training and other programs. The Albert Lea Police Department created the CSO position as part of its Community Policing Program.
Evidence room staff is responsible for the proper intake, inventory, release and disposal of evidence and other property. The Albert Lea Police Department holds auctions to purge items no longer needed as evidence or when an owner cannot be located. Illegal or unsafe items such as drugs and weapons are destroyed. Auctions are advertised locally in advance.
The link between the police academy graduate and the new patrol officer is the Field Training Officer (FTO). FTOs are veteran officers within the department who, in addition to their regular patrol duties, groom and mold probationers into competent police officers.
The FTOs must complete specialized training prior to training probationers. They guide probationers through the 15-week field-training program after their completion of academia and skills training. FTOs conduct training in day-to-day skills and carefully analyze the probationer’s progress. In addition, they teach probationers about skills such as traffic stops, interviews, officer survival, report writing, emergency response/pursuit driving, and geography of the city.
On June 23, 1987, the City of Albert Lea Police Department combined resources to form a larger multi-agency regional emergency response team. The unit became operational Jan. 1, 1988.
As of 2001 the emergency response team became known as the South Central Drug Investigative Unit Tactical Team (SCDIU. Tactical Team). Albert Lea Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team officers complement the SCDIU Tactical Team.
The safety and preservation of all human life is the team’s primary goal. The Albert Lea Police Department’s SWAT Team accomplishes this goal by acting as a law enforcement support unit, which is specially trained and equipped to resolve critical high-risk situations. Containment of suspects and negotiation procedures are the team’s first responsibilities. The SWAT Team is comprised of licensed and specially trained police officers, under the command of Sgt. Jason Taylor.