Aurelia Police Department

The Aurelia Police Department (APD) is the police department for Aurelia, Antarctic Peninsula. With 5,130 officers, it is the largest municipal police department in the state of Antarctic Peninsula. The department operates in an area of 445 sq mi with a population of 2,057,806. Although Aurelia is a consolidated city-county, the Aurelia Police Department is a separate agency from the Aurelia Sheriff's Department, which provides policing services to the county jail, courthouses within the city, and city hall, along with other buildings owned or operated by the Aurelia Sheriff's Department.

History
During the middle ages, the Aurelia city guard served as the city's defense force in times of war, but also helped to fight crime in Aurelia. It was somewhat effective at it, according to contemporary records, as Aurelia was considered to be a safe city by medieval standards. In the 1700s, the city was patrolled by constables, but still lacked any kind of agency that could investigate and solve crimes. By the 1800s, as the city grew and modernized, there was a need for a formal police force that could deal with and solve crimes. Thus in 1822, the Aurelia Police Department was founded, making it one of the oldest police departments in the United States of Antarctica.

Aurelia has been a mostly safe city due to the APD, although crime rates increased during the 1990s when the police department was underfunded and understaffed. Neighborhoods of the city on the east side such as Exeter, Lafayette, and Waltham were considered the most dangerous neighborhoods of the city at the time, where murders, robberies, and other violent crime in general were common. In the 2000s, the APD increased its efforts in community policing in the more impoverished and high crime areas of the city, getting to know the neighborhoods that they policed, in order to build more trust between the community and the police. As a result, crime significantly decreased, along with the fact that the department hired more officers over the years.

Since the 1960s, the Aurelia Police Department has maintained an auxiliary police unit known as the Aurelia Reserve Police, which consists of part time civilian officers who respond to nonviolent, lower priority calls, allowing for the full time police to respond to other, more important calls. Unlike in other cities, reserve police officers are armed and are paid, albeit a smaller hourly rate than full time officers. In 2010, the Aurelia Police Department moved its headquarters from the old Aurelia Police Headquarters to the Evans Center, named after a police chief of the APD, which is closer to City Hall. The new building is much more modern than the old police headquarters, and is equipped with many different technologies.

Organization
The Aurelia Police Department is led by a police chief appointed by the mayor, who answers to the Aurelia Board of Police Commissioners. Overall, there are six bureaus within the APD, the Board of Police Commissioners, the Office of the Inspector General, the Office of the Police Chief, the Office of Field Operations, the Office of Special Operations, and the Office of Support Services. Most of the APD's 5,130 officers work in the Office of Field Operations as patrol officers. The Office of the Inspector General is an independent bureau within the police department that has oversight over discipline and misconduct. Unlike the other bureaus, its head is appointed by the mayor of Aurelia.

Aviation
The Aurelia Police Department maintains the largest airborne law enforcement division in the state of Antarctic Peninsula, with 10 helicopters and 1 fixed wing aircraft. Most helicopter flights are flown out of the APD Heliport at Evans Center in downtown, while the fixed wing aircraft is stored at and flown out of Walden Airport on the west side of the city. Helicopters are often called during large protests or riots, robberies, or a vehicle chase to provide aerial surveillane for the department. The Aurelia Police Department Air Support Division has a total of 42 sworn officers.

Firearms
Prior to the 1980s, Aurelia police officers used a standard issue revolver for duty. During the 1980s, the revolver was replaced with a standard issue pistol for use in duty. Aurelia police officers have the choice of several different pistols for duty use, and are allowed to buy their own as well. Many officers in the APD often have a second pistol of their choice holstered somewhere on them for emergency use in case they need to. Every APD police car is also equipped with an additional shotgun. Officers who take a course on rifle safety are allowed a semi-automatic rifle for use in duty as well.

Uniform
The uniform for the Aurelia Police Department is a dark blue button up shirt, dark blue pants, and a pair of either black combat boots or black shoes. The uniform shirt consists of a patch displaying the crest of the city of Aurelia on the right arm, a name plate on the right pocket, and a police badge displaying the name of the department, the name of the officer, and the badge number on the left pocket. Officers wear a peaked cap with a metal crest of the city of Aurelia in the center of the hat on the front. APD officers also have a duty belt consisting of all the necessary tools that they need for work.

Vehicles
Most vehicles used by the Aurelia Police Department are a sedan, which is painted dark blue, except for the doors, pillars, and roof, which are painted white. On the front doors are the words "City of Aurelia" and "Police" directly under those words, along with the emblem of the APD to the left of the letters. The words "Aurelia Police" are also painted on the back of the car, on the trunk. The APD also has a few SUVs which are painted in this same format. Additionally, the Aurelia Police Department has a fleet of motorcycles for patrol as well, which are a part of the Motorcycle Division.