Police Department
Overview

Police Chief
Gary Goss
Police Department
215 W. Main St.
Northville, MI 48167
Phone: 248-349-5100
Fax: 248-349-2397
EMERGENCY: 911
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Mission Statement
The 60’s were a violent period in our nation’s history. The
Vietnam War was dividing our country and the drug culture was
intertwined with the peace movement. Race relations were reaching a
high point of tension that erupted into riots in Los Angeles and
Detroit. Within this context, President Johnson formed the
Commission of Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. The
final report from this Commission was entitled the “The Challenge of
Crime in a Free Society.”
This report was a turning point for Law Enforcement. It resulted
in the Law Enforcement Assistance Program that helped to educate our
Police Officers and brought Law Enforcement to a new and improved
level of professionalism. The reason the Commission entitled its
work “The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society” was to point out the
difficulty of controlling crime while preserving our freedoms. It is
a simple matter to control crime in a totalitarian society.
September 11, 2001, brought this balance between freedom and the
need to repress crime to a new level. The question of “How much
freedom are we willing to give up to defend ourselves against
Terrorism?” is consistently being asked. This brings into focus the
importance of the Law Enforcement Profession in today’s world. In
order to protect our freedoms, the law enforcement officer of today
must be highly trained, intelligent and dedicated to controlling
crime and preserving our quality of life. It is within this context,
the Northville Police Department has adopted the following Mission
Statement.
The Northville Police Department’s mission is to preserve our
Freedoms by upholding the constitutional values of our nation, while
controlling crime and preserving our community’s quality of life.
To accomplish this mission, the Department has adopted three
values to guide our efforts. These are as follows:
BE RESPONSIVE
The Northville Police Department is proud of its response time;
however, we need to provide much more. Being responsive recognizes,
at the outset, that police are expected to deal with an incredibly
broad range of diverse community problems–not simply crime. It
recognizes that the ultimate goal of the police is not simply to
enforce the law, but to deal with problems effectively–ideally, by
preventing them from occurring in the first place.
ADHERE TO THE HIGHEST ETHICAL STANDARDS
This value means that we will never betray our badge, our
integrity, our character or the public’s trust. We will always have
the courage to hold ourselves and others accountable for our
actions. We will always uphold the Constitution and the Community we
serve.
RESPECT EACH OTHER
By establishing a culture of respect, we cultivate good habits
that reflect, in the most positive way, upon ourselves and the law
enforcement profession. We cannot respect those we must deal with on
a daily basis, if we don’t respect ourselves. Ultimately we must
treat others the way we would want to be treated under the same
circumstances.
Overview of Department
The Police Department provides 24-hour police service, as well as
dispatching fire and emergency medical services.
Currently, the authorized staffing level includes 1 Police Chief,
1 Captain, 3 Sergeants, 10 Police Officers, 1 Detective and 1 Senior
Clerk. In addition, the Department has 1 part-time clerk,
part-time certified officers, parking enforcement staff and school
crossing guards.
The primary function of the Department is patrol, which operate
24 hours a day. Officers assigned to patrol respond to
calls for service, patrol the City in an effort to prevent crime,
enforce traffic laws, and enforce criminal laws and City ordinances.
In many cases, the officers handle the investigations from beginning
to end. Most of the time, officers patrol in vehicles, but
some time is spent patrolling on foot and on bicycles.
In addition to the patrol services provided to the community, the
Department also provides other services. Officers provide
patrol and some security services to Northville Downs Racetrack.
During live racing, officers are assigned to a daily detail at the
track.
A sergeant is assigned as a detective to handle investigation of
criminal cases beyond the preliminary investigation done by the
patrol officers.
The Department has two officers who are certified as D.A.R.E.
instructors. The program is provided to schools in the City.
It is part of the curriculum at Our Lady of Victory Catholic School
and St. Paul’s Lutheran School. D.A.R.E. is also available as
an extracurricular activity at Amerman Elementary School and
Hillside Middle School.
In addition to D.A.R.E., officers participate in programs such as
Safety Town, Bike Safety Day, Baby Sitter classes and driver
education classes. Officers also conduct special safety
programs and tours for groups when requested.
Dispatch and lockup services are provided by the Northville
Township Department of Public Safety. The business offices of
the Police Department are open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m.
to 9:00 p.m. At other times, a phone is available in the
building entrance to contact a dispatcher for police assistance.

This page last updated:
July 24, 2008
©2008, City of Northville
City of Northville
215 W. Main St.
Northville, Michigan 48167
248-349-1300
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
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