New York City Department of Sanitation Police

The New York City Department of Sanitation Police (colloquially, "Sanitation Police" or "San Cop") is the law enforcement arm

Law enforcement agency

In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...

of the New York City Department of Sanitation

New York City Department of Sanitation

The New York City Department of Sanitation, or DSNY, is a uniformed force of unionized sanitation workers in New York City. Their responsibilities include garbage collection, recycling collection, street cleaning, and snow removal...

(DSNY). It primarily enforces the city's sanitation and recycling laws, but enforces all other laws and regulations as well including vehicle and criminal laws.

Numbering approximately 130 officers, sergeants, lieutenants, captains, inspectors and chiefs, the DSNY Police force is made up of sanitation personnel who are specially chosen from a list of volunteers to undertake specialized law enforcement duties. After undergoing eight weeks of intense specialized training, officers become New York State peace officer

Peace officer

A law enforcement officer , in North America, is any public-sector employee or agent whose duties involve the enforcement of laws. The phrase can include police officers, prison officers, customs officers, immigration officers, bailiffs, probation officers, parole officers, auxiliary officers, and...

s, which allows them to carry and use firearms, handcuffs

Handcuffs

Handcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet that prevents it from being opened once closed around a person's wrist...

, pepper spray

Pepper spray

Pepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...

, and batons, make arrests, issue summons

Summons

Legally, a summons is a legal document issued by a court or by an administrative agency of government for various purposes.-Judicial summons:...

es, use physical and deadly force, and undertake investigative responsibilities.

Once officers complete the eight week training course, they then undergo 400 hours of on the job field training as a Sanitation Police officer trainee with an experienced Sanitation Police officer before being issued assignments. Once they become full Sanitation Police officers, they continue yearly training to keep up with current laws and procedures and to requalify on all previous qualifications. The Sanitation Police force uses marked and unmarked police car

Police car

A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...

s. Except for a distinctive shoulder patch, uniformed sanitation officers are armed and equipped almost identically to their NYPD counterparts.

Patrolling both in uniform and in plainclothes, Sanitation Police officers' responsibilities range from ticketing residents for mixing recyclable and non-recyclable trash to investigating the illegal dumping of garbage, commercial and toxic waste. In 1996, Sanitation Police officers assisted the NYPD with investigating the death of a sanitation worker who was killed when he was struck in the face by deadly hydrofluoric acid that was mixed with ordinary garbage. The suspect was arrested by Sanitation Police officers for unlawful disposal of a toxic substance.

While focusing on their normal duties, Sanitation Police officers are expected and required to remain alert for conventional criminal activity and take appropriate action. Over the years, Sanitation Police officers have responded to domestic disputes, shootings and stabbings.

- - - On March 15, 1994 two NYC Sanitation Police Officers came to aid and were first on the scene to a call of officer shot. NYPD Police Officer Sean McDonald 26 (May he Rest in Peace) was shot and killed while attempting to arrest two suspects for the robbery of a clothing store in the confines of the 44 pct. in the Bronx. The Sanitation police officers desperately tried to save his life performing CPR. The suspects were arrested two days later by detectives.

Divisions

There are many divisions of Sanitation Police officers with each division handling different law enforcement functions:

The Citywide Illegal Dumping Task Force headed by Police Inspector Robert D'Angelo.

The Environmental Police Unit - Assigned to the enforcement of the illegal transportation, removal, and disposal of asbestos, radioactive, medical and hazardous waste.
Permit and Inspection Unit - Handles enforcement of NYC Rules and Regulations of permitted transfer stations, the detection and closure of illegal transfer stations, as well as seizing and impounding the equipment of such unlawful activity, and citywide private carter truck enforcement.

Sanitation Police officers are also assigned to the New York City Business Integrity Commission and the New York City Office of Emergency Management.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Divisions

See also

External links