2008 Annual Report
The events of September 11th 2001 have changed law enforcement in many significant
ways. Officers are now trained in counter-terrorism tactics and have a
greater awareness of those facilities within the Town of Bethlehem that are
potential terrorist targets. What was once a routine call for a suspicious
person or activity is now taken with a greater degree of concern, always
thinking that the "routine" could be the unthinkable. With all
of this in mind, we must still respond to the every day needs of the residents
of our community.
Violent crime over the past several years has declined throughout the
nation. This might be attributed to a strong economy with relatively low
unemployment, the infusion of thousands of new police officers made available
through various COPS grants and a change in the way which police serve their
community. Community oriented policing concepts have given officers new
tools to help solve problems and become an important part of the jurisdiction
that they serve.
Safe school initiatives have increased awareness of the threat that children
may face while at school. We are all too familiar with the tragedies that
have occurred in schools across the nation where we have traditionally felt that
schools were safe havens for our children. Now we know that we must be
pro-active in providing a safe environment for our families to grow and
thrive. We cannot let substance abuse, alcohol abuse, domestic or any
other type of violence affect our children, our families or our community.
With these thoughts in mind, it can be clearly seen why the Bethlehem Police
Department dedicates much of its resources to solving problems that affect
quality of life issues as well as providing prevention efforts to make a safe
community, which includes making our streets safe for vehicular traffic and pedestrians and to
serve our residents.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Goals and Objectives of the Bethlehem Police Department are simple; to
provide a very high standard of law enforcement and public safety services to
the people of our community in a professional, compassionate and cost-effective
manner. The police department is dedicated to serving and protecting the
public by providing consistent, fair and non-discriminating public safety
operations.
BACKGROUND
The Town of Bethlehem is located in Albany County, south of the City of
Albany. It is bordered on the east by the Hudson River, the south by the
Town of Coeymans, the west by the Town of New Scotland and on the north by the
Town of Guilderland and the City of Albany. The major north/south
commercial and commuter routes, such as the New York State Thruway, Route 9W and
State Route 144, pass through the Town carrying thousands of vehicles and passengers
each day. State routes 443 and 85 are major arteries connecting suburban
and rural workers with large business districts in the City of Albany, the State
Capital and the New York State Office Complex. The Patrol Division of the
Police Department is responsible for all vehicular traffic within the Town's
fifty-two square miles and patrols more than one hundred fifty miles of Town
roads, seventy-five miles of County roads and forty-six miles of State
centerline measured roadway.
The Town of Bethlehem Police Department was one of the first departments in
the state to become a New York State Accredited Police Agency. What this
means to the town is that we have met and exceeded the standards set by the
state and federal government for law enforcement agencies in the areas of
professionalism, training, operations, conduct and accountability. In 2000
the department was assessed by three members of the New York State Accreditation
Council and was re-certified for a third five-year term as a state accredited
police department. Each year the department must file with the state to
report on its compliance with the standards over the past twelve months.
This outstanding accomplishment assures the town that the police department's
rules, regulations, policies and procedures are consistent with a high degree of
quality, professional police services.
Please do not e-mail
requests for police patches, department policy prohibits responding to
such inquiries.
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