Our Mission

Mission Statement

We, the members of the Hazelwood Police Department, are committed to being responsible to our community in the delivery of quality services. Recognizing our responsibility to maintain order, while affording dignity and respect to every individual, our objective is to improve the quality of life through a community partnership which promotes safe, secure neighborhoods.

Philosophy

To ensure the Department’s mission is accomplished, the Department champions "Proactive Neighborhood Problem Solving." Neighborhood problem solving acknowledges that police cannot succeed in achieving its basic goals without both the operational assistance and political support of the community. Conversely, the community cannot succeed in maintaining a decent, open and orderly community without a professional and responsive police department.

The police must be more than a reactive force that responds to crimes already committed. We must react as a proactive entity, able to deal with a broad variety of conditions, which tend to disrupt the community peace and adversely affect the quality of life.

Functional

To maintain the organizational philosophy and to ensure an efficient and effective law enforcement delivery system, the Department is organized into:

  • Twelve operational teams
  • Nine teams in two units in the Operations Group
  • Two teams and four units in the Support Group
  • Two units and six analytical community policing teams under the counsel of the Office of the Chief of Police

Operational

Guided by the Group Managers, the members of the Operational Teams perform their responsibilities on the basis of shared values and personal commitment to professionalism. They are empowered to take independent action to solve problems, work with neighborhood leaders, and improve the social environment of the neighborhoods they serve. Working in partnership with the community, the members of these teams are proactive entities that deal with a broad spectrum of conditions, which tend to disrupt the community peace or adversely affect the quality of life.