Division Highlights
As of the last recorded U.S. Census, the City of Columbus was the 15th most populous city in
the United States, with a population of over 787,000, (not including metro area) making it the largest city in the
state of Ohio. Columbus covers approximately 222 square miles, the majority of
which lies in Franklin County, but the city also reaches into Fairfield and
Delaware Counties. The Columbus Division of Police is a force of over 1,800+ sworn
personnel and 350+ civilians, and falls within the top 25 largest police
departments in the U.S.
Based on the Division’s last sworn Equal Opportunity Employer report, the composition of the Division is as follows:
White 86.9%, Black 10.1%, Asian 1.2%, Indian .2%, Other/Hispanic 1.5%. The
Division has 1,615 males (90%) and 186 females (10%); females account for 28
(9.2%) of the 304 supervisory positions. The Division is a large family, and
many personnel are related either by marriage or birth.
Accreditation
The Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) was created in 1979 as a means for law enforcement agencies to voluntarily commit to adhering to a body of international “best practice” law enforcement standards.
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Canine Unit
The Columbus Police Canine Unit was established in the fall of 1992, with four police officers and a sergeant. In 1998 the unit was expended when Division of Police received a federal grant.
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Citizen's Police Academy
In 1997 the Columbus Division of Police created the Citizen Police Academy, a free community education program intended to build relationships between program participants and the Division of Police.
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Columbus Police Helicopter Unit
In 1972 the Columbus Police Helicopter Unit was created and immediately became an integral part of the Columbus Division of Police. Since the inception of the unit over 193,000 flight hours have been flown.
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SWAT
The Columbus Division of Police SWAT team is one of only 15 full-time SWAT teams within the United States. The section was created in 1974 with the primary mission of addressing hostage and barricade situations.
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Training Academy
Our state-of-the-art police academy includes scenario rooms, classrooms, a physical conditioning center, gymnasium, aquatic center, tactical training rooms and an auditorium.
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