Rochester Police Department

The Rochester Police Department, also known as the RPD, is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Rochester, New York, reporting to the city mayor. It currently has approximately 869 officers and support staff, a budget of approximately $75 million, and covers an area of 37 square miles (96 km²). The Rochester Police Department has been under a court-ordered federal consent decree from the United States Department of Justice since 1975 over its hiring practices. The decree was part of 1975 settlement involving racial discrimination.

History

Rochester hired a constable and formed a nightwatch, which first went active on December 28, 1819. Addy Van Slyck was hired as the first police chief in 1853. The police department was reorganized into the Metropolitan Police in 1865.

RPD was the first department in New York State to adopt a police telegraph system in 1886.

In 1893, the department established a bicycle division consisting of two officers who apprehended a daily average of 25 "scorchers" (speeders). The department fielded a mounted division in 1895—officers were expected to supply their own horses.