City of Rochester
News Release
(Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023) – Rochester Police Chief David Smith today provided the details of a major reorganization of the Rochester Police Department that will take effect on Oct. 9. The realignment plan will improve the department’s ability to address elevated levels of violent, gun-related crime, balance officer workloads, and control its overtime expenses.
“This reorganization allows us to flex our resources to address violence while creating a framework for future growth and sustainability,” said Chief Smith, who was sworn in as permanent Police Chief in August 2022. “So while our authorized staffing strength remains the same, balancing the workload will reduce the need for overtime and enable our officers to be even more responsive.”
The Chief and his command staff have been working with officers and union leadership over the last year to recreate a structure that was designed for a pre-pandemic downtown and for a department that included approximately 100 additional officers. The new organization will balance patrol workload across sections and platoons, reduce the need to mandate overtime, and help address the elevated levels of violent gun-related crime.
Under the realignment, the RPD’s five sections are reorganized into four sections. The change increases the number of officers available for service calls in each section while maintaining the overall number of active patrols and car beats. The City’s Department of Neighborhood and Business Development is looking at aligning its Neighborhood Service Center areas with the new RPD section map.
Lake and Clinton Sections maintain 10 car beats each; Goodman Section increases car beats from seven to nine (including two downtown beats); and Genesee Section increases car beats from seven to eight (and will also include two downtown beats).
In addition, under the new plan, six officers and a sergeant will now be dedicated to downtown foot patrol, and the department’s Special Events Division will add a targeted detail for the East End area every Friday and Saturday evening from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.
The realignment also assigns officers to three platoons. To simplify staffing, the fourth platoon (7 p.m. to 3 a.m.) has been eliminated. The new model redistributes all personnel into three primary platoons (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.; and 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.) for consistency and improved flexibility.
A newly created Special Operations Bureau, led by Deputy Chief Keith Stith, will oversee Investigations, Tactical, and Community Affairs.
All investigative functions will be centralized, including former Patrol Section Investigations, which will now become the Criminal Investigations Section and work alongside the department’s existing Major Crimes and Special Investigations Sections.
The Community Affairs Division will enable the department to fully embrace community policing and will include the department’s Neighborhood Services Section. In addition, a new Violence Prevention Section will dedicate personnel to strategic violence reduction initiatives, including grants, joint operations and community partnerships. Several initiatives of the Violence Prevention Section will be housed in the RPD’s former Central Section Offices, keeping an active police presence in that location.
“The Special Operations Bureau – and especially the Community Affairs Division – is an exciting new organizational structure for the RPD,” said Chief Smith. “It presents a significant opportunity to explore important community policing initiatives and strategies and gives Deputy Chief Stith a platform to strengthen the department’s culturally responsive policing efforts and improve community and police partnerships.”
“Rochester is an ever-evolving city, and we need new ways of thinking to address new challenges,” said Mayor Malik D. Evans. “This new plan will enable our officers to be better supported while setting a foundation for the future of police work in our community.”
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The Administration of Mayor Malik D. Evans strives to create a safe, equitable and prosperous Rochester by inspiring hope and delivering opportunity for everyone. Guided by the Administration’s Mission, Vision and Values and the principles of the “Rochester 2034” comprehensive plan, City employees are committed to providing exceptional customer service, transparent stewardship, and collaborative leadership to foster a vibrant community that empowers personal, professional and generational growth for all who live, work or play in the city of Rochester.