Police Protection

Contact Information

Nikeo Collins

Chief of Police
Nikeo Collins

Assistant Chief of Police
Harman Winters

Divisional Commander of Administration
Captain Brad Walker

Divisional Commander of Operations
Captain Susan Johnson

Greetings from the Natchitoches Police Department. We at the Natchitoches Police Department stand ready to protect any and all who enter our city from our loyal citizens to each visitor that comes our way, all are important. Our department is composed of 70 full-time personnel when at full staff. This includes the traffic and patrol line officers, investigative officers – both adult and juvenile, administrative staff, dispatchers and records clerks. We are also part of a multi-jurisdictional drug task force in which we partner with the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office to go after the drugs that may enter our city and parish. Each and every area is directly overseen by an experienced supervisor dedicated to making each person in his/her command a better employee. Our mission is obvious – to catch the bad guy and put him in jail. Each call for assistance is handled swiftly and professionally from the dangers to human life to quality of life requests such as loud music and traffic complaints. The officers at the Natchitoches Police Department are constantly attending training in various areas to gain the most up to date knowledge available and provide citizens with the most professional officer possible. We have also created a new position which places an officer in the downtown area to provide a safer environment for our tourists. We take advantage of government grants that assist us in putting additional officers on the street in different areas. This includes the DWI Task Force, Occupant Protection details and a grant allowing us to send off-duty officers to check on the welfare of domestic violence victims. What this means is that we are able to put additional officers on the street apart from those on duty, providing a larger police presence for all to see. We recently became able to answer our own E-911 calls. This means we no longer have to wait for emergency calls to go through the Sheriff’s Office E-911 Center before the calls are transferred to Natchitoches Police to have a unit respond to the call. This new capability cuts down on the response time to those in need of help. The Natchitoches Police Department is here to serve. When we are called, we go!

Mission

It is the mission of the Natchitoches Police Department to provide a safe environment and a peaceful community for the citizens of Natchitoches. The Department strives to accomplish this objective by providing protection against violent acts, and by safeguarding personal and public property. This is achieved by the professional delivery of police services based on equality and respect for all individuals. The Department endeavors to provide such service by requiring competent, professional personnel dedicated to inherent fairness and integrity. In the fulfillment of this mission, the Department seeks to become an integral part of the community, providing understanding and compassion for human problems and needs.

Criminal Investigations Division

The Natchitoches Police Department’s Investigations Division is comprised of 7 adult criminal investigators and 1 juvenile investigator. In 2016, the division investigated over 1,900 reported adult crimes and 170 juvenile crimes that occurred inside the city limits. Investigators handle any type of crime that is reported to the Police Department including homicides, burglaries, rapes, theft and Internet crimes. The Natchitoches Police Department Criminal Investigations Divisions is comprised of 5 investigative units: Violent Crimes, Cold Cases, Property Crimes, High-tech Crimes, and Juveniles.

Traffic and Patrol Division

The Police Department’s Traffic and Patrol Division is comprised of the most visible division of the police department. The overall goal of Traffic and Patrol is to promote safety, protect human life and property and preserve the peace for every citizen. Every officer, regardless of their assignment, is responsible for actively patrolling all areas of the City of Natchitoches. In addition, the Division deploys highly visible patrol units which are driven by officers who employ patrol-oriented tactics designed to prevent and repress crimes, detect criminal activity and apprehend violators of city, state and federal laws. In 2016, the Police Department initiated and responded to more than 29,000 calls for service. These calls for service ranged from quality of life violations such as loud music and minor traffic infractions, traffic accidents, domestic disputes, thefts, burglaries and robberies. Despite overall increases in calls for service, the Traffic and Patrol Division remains committed to providing timely, efficient and professional services for all citizens of the City of Natchitoches.

Records Division

The Police Department’s Record Division maintains records for crash, offense and arrest reports and also forwards reports to the appropriate party such as the La. Department of Public Safety and Corrections. The division also accepts payment for misdemeanor criminal charges, traffic and parking citations. The Records Division records City Court dispositions from the traffic and criminal dockets. Other responsibilities include completing local criminal history checks, distributing open air and parade permits and entering and processing bench warrant.