Special Assignments

The Community Impact Unit (CIU) is a data-driven, proactive unit focused on criminal detection and interdiction through the use of technology and innovative proactive patrol strategies. Detectives assigned to this position work collaboratively with other law enforcement entities and community stakeholders to monitor, detect, and respond to criminal trends and threats that affect our community.  

Detectives assigned to the CIU also assist in facilitating Community Oriented Policing (COP) projects and assist patrol officers with handling complex calls for service through uniformed and ununiformed operations. 

Community Support Team

The Community Support Team's mission is to provide focused efforts toward situations involving mental illness, substance abuse, and homelessness through early interventions, ongoing case management, and connections to resources.

Members of the team respond to in-progress mental health crisis calls and also follow up after a crisis situation has occurred. The Community Support Team works closely with Washington County's Mobile Crisis Response Unit and other divisions of social services.

Learn More

Crime Free Multi-Family Housing

The Crime Free Multi-Housing (CFMH) program is a partnership between the Public Safety Department, rental property owners and managers, and tenants. Officers work directly with the managers and tenants to build relationships, follow up on complaints, conduct premise surveys and provide training.

The officers maintain communication with property management to create a safe environment in multi-housing communities and work together to problem solve. Officers organize and participate in different community events to build and maintain trust within the multi-housing properties.

Department Instructor: Firearms

The firearms training group is responsible for providing instruction to all Woodbury police officers. The group provides both academy instruction to new officers as well as continued in-service training on all weapons platforms utilized by police officers. These systems include the duty pistol, duty rifle, less-lethal shotgun platform and the 40 millimeter (mm) launcher.

Department Instructor: Reality-Based Training

The Reality-Based Training (RBT) group facilitates realistic training scenarios for Woodbury police officers in a safe and constructive learning environment. RBT scenarios allow officers to apply and practice, in dynamic situations that mirror what they are likely to encounter working as a police officer, skillsets of:

• De-escalation
• Decision-making
• Effective communication
• Firearms
• Patrol tactics
• Response to resistance

The RBT instructor group conducts ongoing in-service training for existing Woodbury police officers and also facilitates scenario training for new officers during the Woodbury Police Department's academy before they begin field training.

Department Instructor: Response to Resistance

The Response to Resistance group is responsible for delivering academy-level instruction to newly hired officers, as well as providing in-service training for members of the Woodbury Police Department. In addition to providing instruction in defense, arrest and control tactics, members of the group also oversee department instruction for intermediate weapons systems such as the taser, ASP baton and oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray.

Explorer Advisor

The role of a Police Explorer advisor is very rewarding. This specific role allows for the opportunity to work with and mentor youth interested in law enforcement. During each training session, a topic is identified such as traffic stop, domestic response, hostage negotiation, etc. The topic will be discussed, followed by hands-on scenarios and application of concepts learned.

Explorers then have the capability to compete with other exploring posts throughout the state at two annual competitions. This is a great role within the Department and highlights working with a diverse and motivated group of young people within the community and surrounding cities in the metro area.

Field Training Officer

Field training officers provide hands-on training to probationary police officers as they begin the careers with Woodbury Police Department. The probationary police officer is paired with different full time officers during their training phase who are responsible for training the new officer on Department policies, procedures and various other aspects of the job.

K-9 Unit

Established in 2001, the K-9 Unit has two dog/handler teams, with more positions anticipated in the near future. Both dogs, K-9 Cirrus and K-9 Ruby, are dual-purposed for patrol work and narcotic detection. K-9 Cirrus is a 2 year old Belgian Malinois and K-9 Ruby is a 2 year old Dutch Shepherd.

K-9s are mainly utilized for their sense of smell, deploying for activities such as tracking, building searches and evidence recovery. K-9s increase officer safety and have the ability to locate lost or vulnerable people.

The K-9 Unit builds positive relationships with the community through numerous public events such as Woodbury Days, Night to Unite, Movie in the Park and the Citizen's Academy. They also participate in several outreach events like visiting each 5th grade class in Woodbury, community barbeques and charity drives. Any officer is welcome to receive training in working with the dogs and become a decoy for the program.

The Woodbury Investigations Division is comprised of a commander, a sergeant, seven detectives, two evidence technicians, a crime analyst, and an administrative assistant. Division members are responsible for general investigations, and have specialties in several areas including financial and retail crimes, human trafficking, digital forensics, elder and juvenile investigations, auto theft, sex crimes, narcotics, and major crimes.   

Our group collaborates frequently with area partners and our members receive extensive training in areas of their interest, which provides career enrichment. Patrol is the foundation of our department, and we encourage our officers to dig into cases to the best of their ability and interest. We also offer career development opportunities on a rotational plan for officers to work investigations for three years, which enhances their skills for when they return to patrol.

Mobile Field Force

Members of the Washington County Mobile Field Force Unit are officers who receive specialized training in civil disorder response, crowd control and anti-riot tactics. They respond to disturbances to protect both life and property and receive training in dispersing crowds/agitators as well as protecting legal rights during protest situations.

Reserve Officer Advisor

The Woodbury Police Reserve Unit is comprised of a mix of community members and prospective law enforcement candidates that assist sworn personnel with transporting prisoners, handling non-emergency calls for service, and attending community events, among other duties. The Unit is headed by a patrol sergeant and several patrol officers who act as advisors for program.

Reserve Advisors assist with general administration of the program (hiring, budgetary items, scheduling, etc.), planning and presenting training topics. They also act as mentors for the reserve officers through ride-alongs and by providing general career advancement advice.

A school resource officer (SRO) is a carefully selected, specifically trained, and properly equipped law enforcement officer with sworn authority, trained in school-based law enforcement and crisis response and assigned by an employing law enforcement agency to work collaboratively with one or more schools using community-oriented policing concepts.

The goals of well-founded SRO programs include providing safe learning environments in our nation’s schools, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with youth, developing strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protecting all students, so that they can reach their fullest potentials.

Woodbury Public Safety currently has two SROs that are assigned to Woodbury High School and East Ridge High School.

SWAT Team

The Washington County Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team is a support unit made up of law enforcement personnel. This specialized team is needed to respond to situations which require equipment and trained tactics which are beyond patrols capabilities. The SWAT Team responds to various amounts of missions each year, which include:

• Barricaded individuals
• Hostage rescue
• Dignitary protection
• Surveillance
• High-risk warrant service

Woodbury’s Technical Support Team consists of several officers that operate three Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): the DJI Matrice 300RTK, DJI Mavic Enterprise, and DJI Mavic Mini, all of which are equipped with high quality camera technology. 

All team members are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, Part 107, commercial drone pilots. Woodbury’s UAVs are utilized in locating missing people, assisting in suspect apprehension both indoors and out and special assignments as well as making appearances at many community events. 

The Technical Support Team also operates a state-of-the-art multi-camera security trailer that can be deployed throughout the city to aid the department in providing security for public events and to aid investigators with prosecting criminal cases. The security trailer consists of several cameras and a loudspeaker that can be remotely accessed in real time and has the ability to be powered for weeks at a time in a single location.