Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)

In 1997, the Alexandria Police Department created a SWAT team recognizing a need for a specialized group of officers to handle situations beyond the capabilities of regular trained police officers. Over the years, several agencies joined with the Alexandria department to create a multi-jurisdictional team that covers 5 cities, all of Pendleton County, and a major state university. Alexandria, Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, Cold Spring, Northern KY University,  and Pendleton County Sheriff’s Office all have officers assigned to this specialized unit. With this being a multi-agency unit, the team was re-named the “Northern Kentucky Special Operations Group” in 2009. All of the officers are trained in numerous basic and advanced tactics, weapons, negotiations, and other skills relating to the job they are tasked with. SWAT teams are used for many high risk operations such as arrest warrant service, drug warrant service, dignitary protection, hostage rescue, and barricaded subjects. SWAT teams afford these operations to be done in a more safe and tactical manner, being a luxury that the normal patrol officer does not have.The Northern Kentucky Special Operations Group trains for two full days per month, constantly honing their tactical and firearms skills, and is a very competent and professional unit.

 

Detective Matt Perkins is responsible for investigations for the Alexandria Police Department. The Criminal Investigations Division (CID) is responsible for all major crimes which involve in-depth investigative practices, crime scene processing, and evidence collection.  Many times, these are crimes first reported to patrol and then passed on for further follow up and apprehension of a suspect if identified.  Crimes investigated by CID range from minor property crimes to major personal crimes such as assault, sexual crimes, or homicide.

 

 

Officer Lisa Grisik is the full-time SRO at Campbell Ridge elementary school and Officer Darrell Caldwell is the full-time SRO at the Campbell County middle school. The School Resource Officer program is a joint cooperative effort between the Campbell Co. Board of Education and the City of Alexandria, and is a valuable program not only for added security at the schools, but to also handle any day-to-day incidents at the school that would require police attention. Officer Carrasquel serves as an advisor to the students on any concerns they may have outside the school setting.

The School is the Community and the Community is the School

The school is simply an extension of the overall community. Crime that affects the community has an impact on schools, while offenses occurring on school property also affect the community. The presence of law enforcement representation within the school community provides for a consistent approach to community public safety. In addition, it provides a model application of community policing principles.

School Safety Equals Public Safety

Law enforcement’s responsibility to public safety has never been in greater demand than it is in the school community today. Escalating concern about student aggression in general and highly publicized school shootings specifically have clearly demonstrated that today’s key school issues are public safety issues. The responsibility for the safety and welfare of students and school staff has been recognized as too great a burden to be shouldered by schools alone; the current school safety challenge is a public safety challenge.

School Crisis Demands a Law Enforcement Response

For a number of years schools have prepared to deal with crisis situations at both the school district and school campus level. Inclusion of a law enforcement presence strengthens the capacity of the school and community to deal effectively with crises which arise within the school community. Law enforcement officers are community crisis responders with specific training to address the crisis situation; they are crisis management experts by trade.

Working with the Campbell County School District our primary focus is to assist in the enforcement of school policy and provide valuable public safety resources to their staff. We are proud of our partnership with the School District.

 

School Resoure Officer Lisa Grisik, lgrisik@alexandriaky.org

School Resoure Officer Darrell Caldwell, dcaldwell@alexandriaky.org

The Alexandria Police Department recognizes that many individuals coming in contact with the police have social service needs; families in conflict, homelessness, indigency, mental illness, substance abuse, etc.  In addition, victims and witnesses of crime may have problems resulting from victimization.  It is the policy of the Alexandria Police Department to ensure that the social service needs of the Community are satisfied and the Police Social Worker is available to consult with Department personnel when the need for crises intervention arises.  Police Social Workers are professionally trained social workers, who work in conjunction with sworn officers in providing assistance for individuals in the City of Alexandria.

 

Alexandria Police Socal Worker contact:

PSW Kelly Pompilio, kpompilio@alexandriaky.org