Community Policing
The Summit County Sheriff's Office received a community policing grant in 1995. In June of that year we formed a Bike Patrol Unit of one full-time deputy and two part-time deputies. They patrolled all of the neighborhoods of our patrol districts, federal parkland and special events. Since that time we have added two more full-time deputies and have initiated bike training for other police agencies. This Unit has also implemented a Senior Watch to visit 160 shut-ins. This past December we had our Ninth Annual Senior Luncheon. We hold a luncheon for the South Districts, one for AMHA Housing
and one for the North Districts.

Throughout the year we speak to age groups ranging in age from 3 to 90 on various safety topics - including everything from stranger danger, cults, to telemarketing fraud. The Sheriff's Office also has an Explorer Post for youths 14 to 20. The focus of the Post is law enforcement. The members are put through some of the same training as the deputies.

When a Community Policing Deputy has the opportunity, he or she targets a district and visits every business there within a year and updates emergency contact information - which is then shared with the Fire Department. The deputies' other duties include horse-mounted events, neighborhood watch meetings, sexual predator notifications, routine patrol functions, emergency crisis responses, bike rodeos and various meetings of Boards of Directors or committees.

Mounted Patrol  http://www.summitcountymounted.org
The Summit County Mounted Patrol was formed in 1953.

The unit works under the authority of Sheriff Drew Alexander. It is a non-profit charitable organization. The unit is made up of regular and special deputies who volunteer their time, their horses, and their equipment for the benefit of the Sheriff's Office and the citizens of Summit County. The unit also has an auxiliary that assists them with their functions. A portion of the charitable contributions are donated each year, to the Battered Women's Shelter, the Summit County Victims Assistance Program, and the Therapeutic Riding Center for Children.

Although the unit still can be seen at parades and other public functions, it underwent many changes in the late 1980's and early 1990's. The unit began to train for more law-enforcement type functions. The mounted unit can be more effective than deputies on foot or in vehicles in certain situations. The mounted deputy is able to view a large area, from his position on the horse, and can pursue a suspect fleeing on foot into areas that a vehicle cannot go. Members of the unit and their horses have gone through training at the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy, the Cleveland Metro Parks Mounted Training School, and the Buckeye State Mounted Training School. The unit also hosted two training sessions conducted by the national Mounted Training Group. The instructors for these sessions came from the Canadian Royal Mounted Police, and from mounted units in New York and Florida. The mounted patrol also conducts their own training sessions each year. The deputies and their horses are trained in the proper methods of crowd control and arrest procedures, from horseback. The horses are exposed to gunfire, fireworks, smoke, fire, flashing lights and sirens during these trainings.

The mounted patrol has been called on to assist other departments in Painsville, Warren, and Toledo with crowd control. The unit has been called on to search for missing persons on several occasions, including in the City of Tallmadge, the City of Green and in Franklin Township. The unit also works many of the concerts at Blossom Music Center helping to provide security in the parking lot. Recently the unit has provided assistance to the Akron Police Department during the " May Day" situation at the University of Akron and the fireworks display in downtown Akron on July fourth.

One of the most satisfying aspects of working with the mounted patrol is the positive relationship that can be developed between the public and law enforcement.

If you have a function or event that you wish the mounted patrol to appear at, we can be contacted through Sheriff Alexander's Office.

School Resource Deputy
The Summit County Sheriff's Office has one part time deputy assigned to schools within the areas that we patrol. These deputies are a resource for the school administrators, staff, parents and students. The deputies offer assistance with daily problems that occur at the schools - including conflict resolution, truancy and safety issues (violence, gangs and drugs). The students are taught to understand the rules and laws and the consequences of misbehavior.

The deputies also assist in the educational process of students and staff. Students have received instruction on aspects of law and youth violence. In staff training, the deputies have focused on issues involving safety, drug and alcohol abuse and child abuse.

Our School Resource Deputies have carried the philosophy of community policing into the schools. The deputies have been able to create a sense of community ownership of the schools and have been instrumental in maintaining a safe school environment.

K9-Unit                                                                                                                                            The Summit County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit consists of four full-time Deputies and several dogs.  These dogs are highly trained in bomb detection, officer protection, tracking and drug detection.  The dogs live with their handlers and the Deputies families.  During duty hours, the dogs are the handler’s “partner” and ride in specially equipped patrol vehicles. 

The patrol dogs supplement the regular Sheriff’s Patrols and assist all Patrol Deputies with building searches, tracking suspects and recovery of contraband.  The patrol dogs have been successful in searching for lost children and elderly persons who wander away from their homes or care-givers.  The patrol dogs are trained to interact with the public and are frequently used in demonstrations at schools and for community groups.  

The newest addition to the K-9 staff is a specially trained explosives detection dog.  The addition of this dog and handler was made possible through the cooperation of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.  The explosive detection dog will be used at the Akron/Canton Regional Airport and will also supplement the SWAT Team, Patrol Bureau, Drug Unit and other law enforcement agencies.

 All members of the Summit County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit receive ongoing training and maintain certification through the federal government and/or the State of Ohio.

Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority (AMHA)
The Summit County Sheriff's Office has three Sheriff's Deputies who patrol the 41 Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority (AMHA) locations along with 500 family units.

The deputies handle any complaint that comes up, do follow-ups and make the safety of the residents their priority.

It's not all business, however, for the deputies. They do a lot of special activities for the AMHA residents. In the family developments they hold bike rodeos for the children, fingerprint the children for the parents' own records and give safety classes. For the people living in the high rises, the deputies organize and put on health fairs, picnics and Christmas luncheons.

The deputies walk the grounds and talk with the residents and their children because the deputies know how important interaction is.

Every day the deputies give badges and coloring books to the children. At the Bike Rodeos the deputies give bikes, bike helmets and T-shirts to a number of the children.

One of the most important jobs a deputy has is to help build community awareness and greater trust in the Sheriff's Office. Each deputy is responsible to work closely with his or her management team in an assigned location. This effort enhances a spirit of cooperation between the residents and the Sheriff's Office in reducing criminal activity in AMHA locations.

Marine Patrol
The Summit County Sheriff's Marine Patrol has been patrolling Summit County's waterways and educating the boating public for over thirty years. The only local law enforcement agency with a Marine Patrol in the County, we work in partnership with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Watercraft and Division of Parks and Recreation. Funding is provided by a grant from the Ohio Division of Watercraft with matching funds from Summit County. During participation in the State Marine Patrol Grant Program, with local Marine Patrols from across Ohio (including Lake Erie and the Ohio River), Summit County has been recognized as the Outstanding Marine Patrol twelve times - most recently in 2003. The Marine Patrol has received awards for excellence in marine law enforcement and education.

Our Marine Patrol activities include boater education programs, marine law enforcement training, public speaking for boating and community organizations, safety equipment inspections, litter prevention programs, boat theft prevention programs, safety recall notifications and traditional marine law and alcohol enforcement.

We are the primary law enforcement agency on the waters of Portage Lakes State Park. We also patrol the Cuyahoga River, Ohio and Erie Canal and Springfield Lake. The Marine Patrol fleet consists of five law enforcement vessels, including a Zodiac inflatable craft and a Yamaha personal watercraft. Summit County's Marine Patrol Deputies, who offer more than fifty years of combined marine law enforcement experience, must complete a basic marine patrol training course and annual update training in advanced marine patrol and education techniques.

The mission of the Summit County Sheriff's Marine Patrol is to maintain a safe recreational boating environment for Summit County residents and visitors. We will accomplish this goal by being world class in our methods and a leader in our profession.