The Zebulon Police Department assigns officers to specialized units that enhance our ability to address specific community needs. These include the Department’s Traffic and Problem Solving (TAPS) Unit and the K-9 Unit. The TAPS Unit plays a key role in practicing solution-based policing by working closely with residents to identify recurring issues such as speeding in neighborhoods, traffic safety concerns, and other quality of life complaints. Rather than relying solely on enforcement, officers develop tailored strategies that may include targeted enforcement, community education, traffic engineering recommendations, or partnerships with other town departments.
This proactive, problem-solving approach allows the Department to address the root causes of concerns while building trust with the community and creating long-term solutions, not just temporary fixes.
The TAPS Unit and K9 Unit are under the supervision of Sergeant Jackson Oliver - joliver@townofzebulon.org
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The Zebulon Police Department TAPS Unit is comprised of two positions that are funded with help from the North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program. The officers assigned to this unit specialize in traffic enforcement and impaired driving (DWI) enforcement. The Zebulon Police Department TAPS Unit also assists with DWI enforcement throughout Wake County upon request of other agencies.
The Zebulon Police Department has two K9 officers. Each is assigned to one of the Patrol Division rotations. These highly trained K9s supplement the patrol shifts and specialize in locating lost persons, searching for articles, and detecting illegal narcotics.
K9 Vegas
K9 Vegas is a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois/German Shepard mix. He is assigned to Officer Heath White. Vegas and Ofc. White work on the C/D rotation. Vegas is known for being very social and is a crowd favorite at Town events.
K9 Koda
K9 Koda is the newest addition to the Zebulon Police Department. He is a 1-year-old German Shepard. Koda is assigned to the A/B rotation where he works with his handler, Officer Marcella Abate.
K9 Chips
Our K9's often do community demonstrations. When they do, the handler will hand out a small number of custom K9 chips with the K9's name and picture on them. See if you can collect them all. For the very avid collector, there are still a few chips floating around from our two most recently retired K9 Officers, K9 Rino and K9 Astro.
The Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) is composed of highly trained officers equipped with specialized tools and tactics to handle critical incidents that exceed the capabilities of routine patrol operations.
The team operates under the leadership of Team Commander Deputy Chief Bob Grossman and Team Leader Captain Edwin Killette, who provide strategic oversight and operational direction.
