Kent County Traffic Squad

Enforcement, IT Forensics Analysis and Mounted Unit Officers have successfully completed and graduated from The Traffic Squad Reserve Officer Training Academy and are sworn as Special Deputies with The Kent County Sheriff’s Department.

 Each office is responsible for the purchase and maintenance of their equipment, uniforms etc.  These costs will exceed $3,000, so the investment is not insignificant.

 All officers must complete the Department’s various annual qualifications and continuing education requirements as well as those established by The Squad’s Training Unit.

Although members of these units have full police powers while on duty, they always work in conjunction with a full time deputy or law enforcement officer.  Their role is that of a support officer, assisting the full time deputy or officer with the performance of their duties.

Enforcement Unit Officers are required to work a minimum number of Special Events annually and assist the Department’s Road Patrol by working as a support officer on routine patrol shifts.  Requests to assist with Crowd and Traffic Control at events constitute a significant portion of the unit’s activities from May through October.

The unit not only assists the Department with Special Events but all law enforcement agencies and communities in Kent County as needed.

The Parks and Marine Unit is a sub-unit of the Enforcement Unit and is coordinated and supervised by a Sergeant.  Officers of this unit assist full-time Marine or Parks Officers on their weekly patrols of the counties lakes, rivers and parks from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

The IT Forensics Analysis Unit is a highly trained and specialized unit, which requires its officers to hold advanced industry designations and have extensive experience in the IT area.  These officers assist the Department’s Investigative Division with “cyber crime” and are frequently required to testify in court.  The unit also offers their services to all local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Mounted Unit Officers too are required to work a minimum number of Special Events annually and participate in regular training programs.  The unit is highly functional in law enforcement and crowd control as it has been demonstrated that 1 mounted officer is the equivalent of 12 to 14 officers on the ground.  The popularity of the unit with both the law enforcement community and general public has seen the requests for service increase to the point where some have to be declined due to the limits of man power and time.