Patrol

Patrol Division: This is the backbone of the agency that answers your call for service 24/7 and 365. These are the officers you see patrolling the city's residential and commercial areas day and night. Many of those officers also work in the specialized units as ancillary duties.

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Marine Operations

Traffic Enforcement

D.R.E.

K-9 Unit

Marine Unit: The Marine Unit protects and serves Port Richey’s waterways through proactive patrol, boating safety enforcement, accident investigations, and search and rescue operations, helping ensure public safety and the safe use of the city’s rivers, canals, and Gulf-access waters.

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Traffic Unit: The Traffic Unit consists of certified police officers primarily responsible for traffic enforcement and safety on the roadways of Port Richey. The unit is also responsible for conducting traffic homicide investigations, DUI enforcement, day-to-day vehicle accident investigations, and DRE assistance to neighboring agencies.

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D.R.E.: A drug recognition expert (DRE), utilized by law enforcement when a driver appears to be impaired, and police have ruled out alcohol as the cause or sole cause of impairment. A DRE receives extensive training that has been approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). The training allows officers to observe and document signs and indicators of impairment within each of seven drug categories, including illicit and prescription drugs. DREs can make arrests and remove impaired drivers from our roadways regardless of the drug or drug combinations that are causing impairment. They also help to strengthen impaired driving arrest cases made by other officers and play a vital role in providing evidence of the impairment at the time of trial.

Check out some of these resources for additional information:

• IACP's Drug Recognition Experts (DREs)

• IACP's International Drug Evaluation Classification Program

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Police K-9: The Port Richey Police Department K9 Unit is a specialized, highly trained division dedicated to enhancing public safety, supporting frontline officers, and strengthening community relations. The PRPD K9 unit is currently comprised of one team, Ofc. Bennet and K-9 Rico. This small but agile unit provides critical capabilities that protect both our citizens and our officers.

The core mission of this unit is to deter crime, locate missing persons, detect illegal substances, and apprehend dangerous suspects safely and efficiently. K9 Rico is certified in patrol and narcotics. His training supports our agency and neighboring jurisdictions through narcotics detection, tracking & locating, evidence recovery, and handler protection & suspect apprehension by:

• Rapidly locating and identifying illegal substances during traffic stops, building searches, and school safety sweeps.

• Tracking fleeing suspects, lost children, or endangered adults through varied terrain.

• Searching crime scenes to locate discarded evidence, such as firearms, clothing, or stolen property.

• Ensuring officer safety during high-risk incidents and tracking down non-compliant, dangerous offenders.