The Police Department engages in the proactive prevention of criminal activity and protection of people and property, and its officers respond to calls for service on a 24/7 basis. The department maintains a partnership with the community, businesses and educational leaders, and units of town government.
The Police Department has 108 officers who include a chief, deputy chief, two captains, eight lieutenants, 13 sergeants, 13 detectives and 70 patrol officers. The department's full-time employees also include a mechanic, three secretaries, an account clerk and a clerk typist.
The Police Department has three divisions: Field Services Bureau, Support Services Bureau and the Professional Standards and Public Affairs Bureau. Specialized units within those divisions include the bike patrol, marine patrol, motorcycle patrol, emergency services unit, dive team, aviation unit, traffic crash investigation unit, DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and Officer Friendly.
The Police Department was officially organized in 1930 after Constable Hezekiah Elwood was shot in 1926. The department has 40 patrol cars, four motorcycles, two boats and Eagle One, a police helicopter.
Police officers responded to 31,359 calls for service in 2009.
The 2009-10 budget for the Police Department is $13.8 million.
The Police Department is located at 100 Reef Road.
Middletown Area Transit, or MAT, is a public bus system serving nearly all of Middletown. It also links with bus lines to Meriden, New Britain, Durham, Portland and East Hampton. Tickets are sold as a single trip, by the day, or by blocks of 10, 20 or 31 days. Children up to age 6 ride free; people who are handicapped or 65 years and older ride for half-price. Routes, schedules and other helpful information can be obtained from MAT's website or by calling the customer service office. The Middletown Transit District, which oversees MAT, is funded in part by the Federal Transit Administration, the state Department of Transportation and the City of Middletown.
