Program Description

  Patrol Services

The Patrol Services Bureau (PSB) is the largest bureau within the Montgomery County Police Department. It operates 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week and is responsible for the most contacts with those that reside, work and travel within Montgomery County. The PSB currently consists of six districts - Rockville (1D), Bethesda (2D), Silver Spring (3D), Wheaton (4D), Germantown (5D), and Gaithersburg (6D).

PSB consists of several specially trained units, including the District Traffic Officers, Special Assignment Teams (SAT), District Community Action Teams (DCAT), Patrol Investigations Unit (PIU), and Community Services Officers (CSO). PSB is responsible for providing priority and routine services to the public, directed at preventing, deterring and responding to crime throughout Montgomery County with the primary goal of building trust, and developing and maintaining strong relationships between the department and the communities we serve, as part of the department's community policing philosophy. This is accomplished through:

• Enforcing proactively, by recognizing problems and preventing criminal activity, to prevent victimization;
• Responding to calls for service regarding criminal situations and providing general (non-emergency/non-enforcement) public assistance;
• Identifying victims of crimes and providing victim assistance;
• Enforcing traffic laws with the specific goal of reducing traffic collisions while promoting traffic and pedestrian safety and education;
• Educating the public in crime prevention methods;
• Protecting students and facilities within Montgomery County Public Schools; and
• Participating in community engagement efforts with the residents and business communities of Montgomery County to promote cooperative, transparent, and trusting partnerships.