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| Metropolitan Nashville Police Department |
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| Serving our community with pride and professionalism | |
| Established | 1806 |
| Jurisdiction | Municipal |
| Sworn | 1,300 |
| Non-sworn | 600 |
| Chief of Police | Ronal W. Serpas |
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department is the primary provider of law enforcement services for Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. Davidson County is located in Tennessee and covers a total area of 526.1 square miles that encompasses everything from high density urban locations to rural areas.
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Composition and organization
The department comprises over 1900 personnel, including over 1300 full-time sworn members. The department responds to more than 750,000 police calls per year on average. The most recent census ranked Nashville as the 21st largest U.S. city. In the year 2000 the Department of Justice ranked the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department as the 36th largest U.S. police department. The department is configured in a decentralized format, providing its precinct commanders with control of their own resources to address issues and crime trends in their areas. The department is divided into six precincts: North, South, East, West, Central, and Hermitage. A precinct is designed similarly to a medium-sized police department, with uniform patrol, undercover officers, directed patrol officers, plainclothes detectives, and other specialties. The precincts are supported by Administrative Services, Investigative Services, and Special Operations Division personnel, all in an effort to deter, detect, prevent, and respond to criminal trends in the precinct areas. The department's entire focus is on how to quickly identify trends and implement initiatives that address them.
S.W.A.T. Team
In 1976 the Metropolitan Nashville Government formed a highly flexible mobile strike force to concentrate on police problems that might otherwise go unchecked in Nashville due to the limitations imposed on field personnel in supplying day-to-day services. This early concept became the foundation for the department’s Metro Unique Situation Team, known then as M.U.S.T. This team was placed under the direct control of the Metro Police Department’s Training Academy Director and its members were appointed from the training academy’s roll. In 1979 the team was renamed the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (S.W.A.T.) and in 1983, its membership was opened to personnel throughout the department. SWAT members are specialists selected, trained, and equipped to resolve high-risk tactical problems. SWAT personnel assist in the department’s response to unusual and high-risk tactical situations. The members have primary assignments from virtually all sections within the department and come together for training and operations. Their constant specialty training and flexibility are the key elements in keeping abreast of a rapidly changing society and the complex problems it generates. The team conducts over 125 SWAT-related missions per year. The team responds to several categories of tactical situations including:
- Barricaded person situations
- Sniper/counter-sniper situations
- Hostage situations
- High-risk warrant service operations
- Protecting high value persons and property
- Search and rescue operations
- High-risk tactical surveillance and/or narcotics enforcement operations
- Tactical waterborne operations
- High angle, elevated, and aviation operations
- Covert/undercover tactical operations
- Hazardous material, clandestine lab and weapons of mass destruction situations
- Special circumstances such as crowd control and rural searches
In 2004, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department activated a portion of its SWAT team members to a full-time status. The unit is a plainclothes versatile SWAT unit with its primary focus as combating high-risk suspects who have outstanding warrants. The Special Response Tactical Unit is staffed by active SWAT Team members. Based on the unit's primary tasks of tracking down violent repeat offenders, service of high-risk search/arrest warrants, and assistance with preplanned high-risk operations, the unit is flexible in its shifts and days off.
 Fast Roping |
 Police OH-58 Helicopter |
 Sniper and Observer |
 SWAT and Tactical K-9 |
 Police MD500 Helicopter |
 Non-Dominant Hand Range Work |
 Drug Detector K-9 |
 Police Vehicles |
 On Rope |
 Drill and Ceremony Team Posting the colors |
 Sniper Range Work |
 Search Warrant Service |
External links
References
- Ashmore, Eddie (2006). TENNESSEE LAWMAN History of the Men and Women behind the Badge. Turner Publishing. ISBN 1-59652-247-X.
- Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (2006). Metropolitan Nashville Police Annual Report. Nashville: Metro Government Printing Office.
- Metropolitan Nashville Police (2007) Web site http://www.police.nashville.org/
- United States Census Bureau (2006). Population Estimates.
- United States Department of Justice (2000). Local Police Department Estimates.
