Patrol Operations are the backbone of the Police Department. Officers respond on a daily basis to calls for service from the public and handle varying situations that require quick thinking, professionalism and problem solving skills.
Patrol Captain
Captain Lisa Best
540-437-2713
HPD has four patrol squads, each consisting of ten officers and a K9 Officer, and each is supervised by two sergeants. The supervisors are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the squad and direct field assignments. Patrol officers with the Harrisonburg Police Department hold the rank of Police Officer (PO) I or II and then are promoted to Master Police Officer (PO).
Patrol officers are using the Geographical Policing model to serve Harrisonburg.
PO I's are officers who are in the process of being trained and have yet to complete their 20 week basic academy and 16 week field training program.
PO II's are released for solo patrol assignments and receive a ranking insignia of one stripe once they have mastered one specialty skill area, requiring at least 40 hours of training.
The rank of Master Police Officer is reserved for those officers who have at least five years of police experience and meet certain requirements of the department's Career Development Program.
The typical patrol officer in Harrisonburg has an average of five years of field experience. They work 12-hour permanent shifts, either daylight or nights, depending on squad assignment. They patrol the City of Harrisonburg on a 24-hour basis in a variety of marked and unmarked police vehicles.
Mental Illness Crisis Team (MICT)
Mental Illness Crisis Team officers have received additional training to help individuals who may be in a mental health crisis. Each patrol squad has one officer designated as a MICT Officer. These officers take the lead on calls for service that involve a possible mental health situation. They have had additional mental health and de-escalation training along with a strong passion for helping individuals who may be in a crisis.
While MICT officers have received additional mental health training, all HPD officers have or will go through Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) and Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT). Both of these training programs provide officers with de-escalation techniques that help work toward positive resolutions for all parties involved. Currently, 89% of our sworn personnel have been trained in CIT, and 90% have been trained in ICAT.
Check out this news article from WHSV-TV3 in Harrisonburg.
For further details on how mental health calls for service are handled, please contact our non-emergency line at 540-434-4436 and ask to speak with a MICT officer.
Meet HPD's MICT Officers:
| A Squad- Officer Hensley | B Squad- Officer Denneny | C Squad- Officer Lanphier | D Squad- Officer Valencia |
 |  |  |  |
Mental Health Co-responders
In September 2025, Harrisonburg Police Department initiated a police-mental health crisis response program aimed at assisting law enforcement officers to better assist individuals in crisis. The department hired Raz Ahmed, a mental health professional, to respond with officers on mental health and other crisis-related calls for service. Raz assists with crisis intervention and provides additional screening at the call location to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, subsequent law enforcement encounters, and the use of force. From September 2025 to December 2025, 33 community members received a field assessment or screening for mental illness. 21 incidents were resolved on scene without taking the person into custody, six voluntarily went to the Emergency Department, and six were taken into emergency custody.
Overall Goal: Improve the diversion of individuals with mental health and substance use challenges from arrest and unnecessary hospitalization and increase access to treatment.
Objectives:
- Create a new co-response program within the HPD, comprised of one Clinician and one Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP)
- Expand field-based assessment to better connect individuals to community-based mental health, substance use, and other support services
- Increase follow-up with individuals released from the crisis assessment center, hospitals, or jails
- Increase Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) refresher and advanced topics training among HPD officers
- Expand data tracking, coordination, and utilization across regional justice and mental health partners
Resources:
Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Service Board (CSB)
540-434-1941 Office
540-434-1766 Emergency Services
Sentara Behavioral Health 540-564-5100
Western State Hospital 540-332-8000
JMU Counseling Center 540-568-1735
Strength in Peers 540-208-2941 Resource Guides
Region 1 Children's Mobile Crisis [60KB] 1-800-970-5897
Suicide Hotline 988