The Davenport Police Department is the third largest municipal law enforcement agency in the State of Iowa. The department is responsible for patrolling Davenport’s 66 square miles with over 500 miles of city streets, and responding to calls for service from the City’s over 100,000 residents. The Davenport Police Department’s 167 sworn employees and 25 civilians handle, on average, approximately 101,000 calls for service annually with a fiscal budget of $28.6 million. The Davenport Police Department has been accredited since 2003.
Department Leadership
Chief Sikorski was appointed to the Police Chief position in January 2016 and is a 33-year veteran of the Davenport Police Department. He has served the department in every division and has a depth of knowledge regarding innovative policing strategies. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master’s Degree in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration from Western Illinois University. His command staff includes an Assistant Chief and three division Captains. Chief Sikorski is passionate about promoting collaboration between the Davenport Police Department and the community groups to address public safety issues holistically within the community.
Major Jeffery Bladel is a 27-year veteran of the Davenport Police Department and has been serving as the Assistant Chief of Police since 2016. He is a life long resident of Davenport who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration from Western Illinois University and a Master’s Degree in Law Enforcement Intelligence and Analysis from Michigan State University. He has served the department in every division and has many years of investigative experience. Major Bladel has led the Department’s involvement with the Department of Justice Public Safety Partnership program and has also recently led the creation of a new Crime Analytics unit.
Divisions/Bureaus/Units
The Davenport Police Department operates under four separate divisions. The Administrative Division houses the Police Chief and Assistant Chief of Police, including Internal Affairs. The Patrol Division is the department’s largest with approximately 97 sworn employees. Patrol officers provide 24-7-365 coverage of Davenport’s 66 square miles over three shifts. Specialty units within this division include K-9 and Traffic Safety. The second largest division with approximately 37 sworn employees is the Criminal Investigation Division – which houses the Detective Bureau and Tactical Operations. Specialty units within the Detective Bureau include Major Case Unit, Special Victims Unit, and the Afternoon Unit. Specialty units within Tactical Operations include the Gun Unit and the Narcotics Unit. Services is the final division encompassing the Identification Bureau, Records Bureau, Crime Prevention Bureau, and Training Bureau. The Department’s 30 member Emergency Services Team (EST) has sworn employees assigned from all divisions. EST’s mission is to deliver a safe and effective response to high risk - incidents and unusual occurrences requiring specialized training and equipment.
Training
The State of Iowa (IA Admin Code: 501-8.1) requires that all regular law enforcement officers receive a minimum of 12 hours per year, or 36 hours every three years, of law enforcement related in-service training. The Davenport Police Department provides each officer an average of 50-60 hours of training per year. Topics include, but are not limited to: Use of Force, Driving, Ethics, Bias Based Profiling, Tactical Medicine, Mental Health, Handcuffing, Defensive Tactics, Multiple Officer Control Tactics, De-Escalation, Verbal Defense & Influence (VDI), Legal Updates, Less Lethal Weapons, Firearms, Blood Borne Pathogens, Hazard Communications, Basic Life Support (BLS), Mandatory Reporting, Fair and Impartial Policing, and Force on Force Drills.
The Davenport Police Department’s training facilities include an indoor tactical range, a dedicated 26’ x 40’ mat room for defensive tactics training, a dedicated Use-of-Force Lab for reality-based training, and a 94-seat auditorium-style classroom.
ACCREDITATION
The Davenport Police Department has been accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) since 2003.
In 2018, DPD received an enhanced Certificate of Meritorious Accreditation. This award recognizes agencies that have been accredited for fifteen or more continuous years. This accreditation is an ongoing process where agencies are reviewed and evaluated on policy, procedures, and practice against established standards and have their compliance with those standards verified by an independent team of assessors.