The sworn officers of the Mentor Police Department include the Chief of Police, three Captains, who command the three divisions which make up the department, three Lieutenants, nine Sergeants, and sixty-one Officers. Along with patrol officers, the department maintains seven detectives, two crime prevention officers, one school resource officer, and one court liaison officer. The department also includes two part-time officers, six corrections officers, 15 communications technicians, five records personnel, two property/evidence technicians, a victim’s assistance advocate, one city prosecutor with three office personnel, and eight school crossing guards.
The majority of the sworn officers are assigned to the operations division. This division, under the command of Captain Andrew Lehner, is made up of the Patrol Division, the Detective Bureau, Property & Evidence, and the Bomb Squad.
The Patrol operation is the backbone of the Mentor Police Department. The officers are the most visible to the citizens and visitors of the City of Mentor, and are on patrol 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. Currently, the basic patrol officers are working 12 hour shifts, on a rotation that schedules them to work 7 days – or 84 hours, every 2 weeks. The officers handle all initial criminal investigations reported to the police department, traffic accidents and enforcement, and patrol response to non-criminal complaints and requests for police service. They also handle traffic enforcement duties. Community policing concepts are also employed by patrol officers in an attempt to solve problems and prevent the opportunity for criminal activity.
Officers staff a number of special units, including a SWAT team, a hostage negotiations team, a bicycle unit, the Lake County Bomb Squad, evidence technicians, and field training officers.
The Detective Bureau investigates crimes when the investigation is forwarded to them by the patrol officers. It is their responsibility to take an investigation to its eventual conclusion by identifying a suspect or exhausting all leads. The detective unit has evolved into a highly trained and specialized unit using the latest technology to assist in solving crimes. They also work to support patrol personnel in conducting investigations at their level.
You will find more information on the functions of many of the special units of the operations division elsewhere on this site.
