Norristown Police Department

Divisions & Units

Divisions

Patrol:

The Patrol division has 55 uniformed officers, working in shifts, to provide police services to the citizens of Norristown, and anyone else within the corporate boundaries of Norristown. These services are provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. As the backbone of the Police Department, the Patrol Division is tasked with the initial response to any call for service. The primary task of the Patrol Division is the immediate protection of life and property, whether in an emergency or in situations which may become emergent without police intervention. It is always the goal of the Patrol Division to intercede before situations get out of control, and to de-escalate situations that are already out of control, as quickly and professionally as possible, in accordance with the Rights and Liberties Guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, while enforcing all laws and ordinances.

Criminal Investigations:

The Criminal Investigations Division ( Detectives )is responsible for major case investigations, follow-up investigations to lesser offenses, and internal investigations. Staffed by 6 full-time detectives and the CID Commander, these sworn officers have diverse backgrounds and expertise in different areas. Their expertise, combined with their experience and drive are leading factors in the Norristown Police Department having one of the highest clearance rates for crimes committed. Although, each detective is assigned to concentrate primarily on one specific type of crime from the following: assaults; robbery; burglary; theft/fraud; juvenile; sexual assault/domestic abuse, they all come together as a team for major cases such as homicide. The detectives are also tasked with assisting other agencies as needed when criminal activity in other jurisdictions has a connection to Norristown, or when crimes originate in, but extend beyond Norristown. Detectives receive specialized training in: identification, preservation and collection of forensic evidence; interviewing techniques; and special victim's investigations (when needed).

Specialized Units

Bike Patrol:

Norristown Police first began to use bike patrol officers in about 1996. Assigned in teams, bike patrol officers have the ability to go where police cars cannot, and go more quickly than an officer on foot. Each officer authorized to function as a "bike patrol" officer must complete an intensive course of specialized training in which the officer learns how to take their bike over various terrains and obstacles, as well as learning evasive maneuvers and collision avoidance. Bike Patrol officers play a significant role in deterring crime in business areas and allow for better patrol of the Schuylkill Valley Bike Trial. Interaction with the public is also enhanced because of the ability to stop more frequently.

SWAT Team:

The primary responsibility of the Special Response Team (SWAT) is the resolution of difficult police situations outside the realm of the ordinary patrol response through the use of developed skills, tactics, and specialized equipment/capabilities. Incidents which meet these criteria include but are not limited to: hostage situations, barricade situations, sniper situations, high risk apprehension or warrant service, high risk surveillance, or personal protection details.

The second responsibility of SWAT is to provide a wide range of police services in furtherance of the Police Department's goals and objectives.

SWAT is comprised of highly trained, skilled and dedicated officers. Because of the various jobs that SWAT is tasked to handle, the team has officers trained in tactical operations, as well as negotiations and emergency medicine. While it is always the primary goal to resolve every situation faced with no injury nor loss of life, the current realities of the world we live in do not allow for this outcome, all the time.

Community Relations:

For years, the Norristown Police Department has operated a small but effective unit known as Community Relations. The mission of the Community Relations unit has been to take on assignments that require more time than the Patrol Division can allow its officers to give, as well as special services to the community. These services include Aging and Adult awareness programs, awareness programs for elementary school students ('stranger danger'; 'good touch/bad touch' programs, and finger printing/identification packets for children), and, parade coordination and funeral details. Although currently staffed by one uniformed officer, it is the responsibility of every officer of the Norristown Police Department to recognize the needs of the community and do everything in their power to meet those needs.

"Operation Bee Sting":

Within the Patrol Divison exists the Bee Sting Unit.  Although the name of this unit is new to the Norristown Police Department, it's purpose and existence is not, having its roots in the more commonly known reference of "vice" unit.  When reborn a couple of years ago, the Bee Sting unit was charged primarily with the aggressive pursuit of 'quality of life' crimes.  These include, but are not limited to: public Intoxication; open containers of alcohol in public; street corner illegal-drug sales; and prostitution offenses. While the officers of this unit still remain focused on enforcement in these areas, they are now being tasked to look more closely at how groups of individuals in Norristown are coming together to commit crimes and disrupt the quality of life we enjoy. 

Parking Enforcment:

The Division of Parking Enforcement is a hybrid of police personnel and civilian employees. The function of the parking division of the Norristown Police Department is to locate and enforce all parking violations occuring in the Municipality of Norristown's corporate limits. Violations can be of Municipal Ordinances or statutes of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These laws are enforced to ensure the safe movement of vehicluar and pedestrian traffic thoughout the Municipality. Recipients of Parking Citations or Notices of Parking Violations may respond to them as follows:

- Pleading guilty or Not guilty
- Parking tickets can be paid in person Monday to Friday from 8:30a.m. –   4:30p.m. at Municipal Hall 235 E. Airy St., Norristown, Pa 19401 or
- Remit payment via ail or Online @  www.parkingticketpayment.com/norristown

If you have questions, you can contact us :
- Officer Rambo 610-270-0430
- erambo@norristown.org
- Ticket office 610-270-0426
 

Administrative

Records:

The Records Room is located just inside the main entrance of the Norristown Police Department. Its hours of operations are from 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday, except for government holidays that occur during this period. In general, citizens seeking to get a copy of a police report may do so during this time at no cost for regular reports and a cost of $15 per copy of Accident Report. The proof of payment of this fee shall be provided at the time of the request and payment shall be made at the Finance office, located on the 1st floor of the Norristown town hall. Note: reports concerning on-going/active criminal investigations will not be released without a court order.

Evidence & Property Room:

The Evidence/Property Room is an extension of the Criminal Investigations Division, and is staffed by an Evidence Technician and or a detective. Normal hours of operation are from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, except for government holidays that occur during this period. It is during these hours that citizens can attempt contact with the Evidence/Property Technician to inquire about property that is, or may be, currently held by the department. The role of the Evidence/Property Room is to safely secure items of evidence, and, the storage personal property of citizens, as may come into the possession of the Norristown Police Department, for whatever reason.

Items of evidence that are personal property cannot be returned (if at all), until the absolute conclusion of the case. This includes exhausting the time period for all appeals and their outcomes. Personal property that is not evidentiary in nature will be returned to the true owner, as quickly as possible. Anyone who believes that the Norristown Police Department is currently in possession of their property should contact the Property Room at 610-270-0485. Where property is submitted to the Property Room for "safe keeping," contact will be attempted with the owner of that property, via telephone and or the last known address available to the police. If no one responds to the attempted contacts, or presents themselves to the Department as seeking their property, the Department shall consider public notice of such items being held. If the true owner still does not come forward in a timely fashion, the items will then be disposed of pursuant to the legal requirements for its disposal.