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Coatesville Police Department  Police Chief - William Matthews One City Hall Place Coatesville, PA 19320 Phone: 610-384-2300 Fax: 610-384-4659 Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 - 5:00
Mission Statement It is the mission of the City of Coatesville Police Department to serve and protect the persons and property within the corporate limits of the City of Coatesville and to enforce all state and local laws in a professional and courteous manner. We are active in community awareness to ensure every resident and business and business owner are less likely to be victimized. Our police officers are determined to protect and support individual rights while providing for the security of persons and property. We will continue to do everything we can to minimize criminal activity, eradicate drug activity and provide a safer community. Remember to Save a Life and Don't Drink and Drive and always wear your seatbelt!! Bike Patrol The Bike Patrol Unit began operations in 1999. The bicycle has proven to be an excellent community oriented policing tool as well as a great deterrent to crime. The bike patrol unit is used for patrol functions and community relations. Bike Patrols are utilized throughout the City, but primary emphasis is the core downtown district. The bike patrols unit helps make officers more visible in areas that have a high volume of pedestrian traffic. The Bike Patrol Unit is also highly visible at events or functions where it is impractical for the normal patrol units. The bikes used are made by Trek and are fully equipped and designed for law enforcement use. Bikes are equipped with lights, saddlebags. Etc. Detectives The Detective Division is made up of 1 Lieutenant, 1 Sergeant and 4 Detectives.
The Detective Division and the Drug Unit were recently merged. The thinking
that most crime in Coatesville is drug related in one form or another, so by
merging the units all of their information and intelligence would be free flowing
between both units. Detectives are trained in many specialized areas. Including
crimes against persons, crime against property, drug enforcement, juvenile crime,
organized crime and intelligence. Our Detective Unit has a very good clearance
rate. These highly trained units have been responsible for solving several high
profile cases. In addition, our Detectives work very well in assisting many
outside agencies in local, state and federal law enforcement. The residents
and business owners can be proud of these hard working, skilled and dedicated
professionals. Drug Enforcement The Drug Enforcement effort within the police department concerns all divisions within the department. The main investigative arm comes from the Detective Division, who are armed with specialized equipment, investigators and intelligence. The Patrol and Bike Divisions are responsible for constant and steady enforcement, especially in street level drug enforcement. The emergency response team is responsible for making all high-risk entries during arrest and search warrant executions. In addition, the Police Department is assisted by many local, state and federal agencies that work exclusively in drug enforcement. Patrol Division The Patrol Division is made up of 1 Lieutenant, 4 Sergeants, 4 Bike Officers, 1 Main Street Officer and 14 Patrol Officers. Police Officers are the first line of defense. They are assigned to work one of three patrol sectors that divide the City. Besides answering calls for service from our Citizens, Police Officers within this division are responsible for proactive intervention and enforcement as well as Community Policing. A large percentage of our officers also wok in other specialized units such as DARE, The Chester County Municipal Drug Task Force or the Coatesville Police Emergency Response Team. The ERT Team is responsible for all high-risk scenarios and are similarly trained. All Police Officers in all divisions attend continuing education and instruction through the year. Specialized Equipment The Coatesville Police Department has exploded onto the technology scene in these last 3 years. Most police patrol vehicles are equipped with mobile data terminals, which are on board computers. This interfaces with Chester County, Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. Four Police Units will be equipped with video cameras. In addition, the patrol division is equipped with portable breath testers for drunk drivers, tint meters to measure the allowable percent of tint on vehicle windows as well as road spikes that can be deployed in seconds and end a high speed pursuit quickly and safely, and 3 speed timing devices to measure the speed of vehicles. The police station recently upgraded computers and computer software, which will eventually allow the police officer on the street to complete their paperwork from the police vehicle instead of the station. The processing of prisoners has improved with the addition of a 10 print electronic fingerprinting system and photo imaging system. Eventually, the 10 print system will be able to interface with all 50 states. The Police Department recently placed in service two specialized vehicles. The first is a mobile crime scene unit. This unit is a Jeep Cherokee and will hold and transport processing equipment directly to a crime scene. The second unit is a 1987 Humvee. This was a military vehicle that was purchased by the City. When this vehicle arrived, it needed much work, but with the hard work of Sergeant Brice and Detective Norcini, and the much needed assistance and funds from many businesses in this City and County, this vehicle is now a source of much pride in the Community and Police Department. This vehicle will be used on patrol, inclement weather and for public relations.
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