About the Fargo Police Department

Established in 1875, The Fargo Police Department is the largest municipal law enforcement agency in North Dakota. The Department utilizes Intelligence-Led Policing, which facilitates the use of data and intelligence information to assess when and where department resources are deployed; thus making the most effective and efficient use of those resources. The Fargo Police Department is divided into three operational divisions, each of which is commanded by a Captain.

Sworn police officers patrol 49.74 square miles, serving 126, 748 (2021) citizens within a metropolitan statistical area consisting of 248,591 (2020).

Officers responded to 94,158 calls for service and filed 19,227 case reports (6/1/21-5/31/22).

The Fargo Police Department provides the community with a wide range of basic, complex and emergency policing services, which includes investigating and resolving crime, enforcing the city’s traffic regulations, responding to calls-for-service received from the public and mitigating public-safety concerns coming to our attention. The Department also leads or participates on regional teams, such as the Red River Valley SWAT Team (SWAT, Bomb, Negotiations) and the Cass County Drug Task Force.

The Office of the Chief consists of the Chief, Assistant Chief, Executive Assistant and the Payroll/Procurement Assistant. The Department is further supported by a full City communications team consisting of four divisions (with a multimedia studio and a broadcast suite on-site) in addition to a permanent staff footprint within the Department.

The Fargo Police Department is divided into three operational divisions, each of which is commanded by a Captain:

The Neighborhood Services Division Patrol Unit consists of four patrol shifts responding to calls for service, enforcing traffic and serving the Fargo community on a 24/7/365 basis. Fargo is divided into five distinctive patrol beats with officers are assigned in each area; these officers are supervised by a Sergeant. A Lieutenant is designated as the Shift Commander who is responsible for police operations during their respective shift. Also within the Neighborhood Services Division, the Specialized Services Unit consists of the Truck Regulatory Officer, Municipal Court Bailiff, Airport Officers, School Resource Officers, Community Engagement Team and Community Service Officers.

The Criminal Investigations Division consists of the Investigations Unit which includes the Adult Violent Crimes Unit, Property Crimes Unit, Crimes Against Children Unit and the Evidence and Property Unit. The Narcotics and Intelligence Unit includes the Narcotics Unit, Street Crimes Unit and Intelligence and Analysis Unit.

The Professional Standards Division consists of the Professional Accountability Unit, Training and Development Unit, the Records Unit and the Quartermaster.

The Fargo Police Department works closely with Mayor Dr. Tim Mahoney, who is the Department’s Liaison Commissioner. The liaison assignment system was adopted several years ago as a means of providing a link between individual departments and the City Commissioners. With Fargo continuing to grow and its activities becoming more complex, the assignment of specific Commissioners to individual departments provides an effective avenue for communication between elected and appointed city officials.

View the Fargo Police Department Organizational Chart