The primary law enforcement activities of the Harbor Police Department are the responsibility of the Patrol Division. Preventive patrol duties and inspectional activities include:
The Marine Division, formerly the Harbor Police Patrol and Rescue Boat Division, was created in 1956. HPD Marine Division was created to provide the following services:
The HPD Training Division is home to the Harbor Police Academy. The mission of the Harbor Police Academy is to educate our officers on the ever-changing city, state and federal laws pertaining to policing; to ensure that new recruits meet the Department’s highest levels of professionalism; and to meet the requirements of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement’s Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST).
The Harbor Police Academy was created in 1974 and granted POST accreditation as a certified basic training academy for law enforcement officers. The Academy trains recruits not only for the Harbor Police Department, but also for the Orleans Levee Board, Crescent City Connection, St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office, other Louisiana sheriff’s departments and major university police departments.
The Harbor Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division was established in 1970. The division was formed to follow up on reports of cargo thefts, ship burglaries, robberies of seamen and other crimes.
The Criminal Investigations Division also performs, but is not limited to, the following functions:
The Harbor Police Department Bicycle Patrols began on May 10, 2017. The designated patrol area is from Henderson to Governor Nicholls. The bike patrols have been welcomed by both businesses and tourists as their presence adds a needed safety element for that busy area.
HPD obtained six new state-of-the-art bikes in August 2017. Each bike is equipped with blue lights, a siren and a PA system.