The Huntington Beach Police Department consists of four divisions: Executive, Administrative Operations, Uniform, and Investigations. Each division is made up of bureaus which have distinct duties to respond to the needs of the citizens and the Department.

The Executive Division operates out of the office of the Chief of Police. Within the Executive Division is the Chief's Executive Officer who oversees the Professional Standards Unit and the Community Liaison Bureau.

The Administrative Operations Division is responsible for the Communications Bureau, Personnel Bureau, Support Services Bureau, and Budget Bureau. Communications encompasses the 9-1-1 center for the police department. Personnel is responsible for the testing and hiring of employees at the department. Support Services consists of the Training unit, the Alarm office, fleet management and building maintenance. The budget bureau involves payroll, accounting and grant management. .

The Uniform Division is the largest of the three divisions and has the greatest number of personnel assigned to it. Within the Uniform Division is the Patrol Bureau, Traffic/Aero Bureau, and Special Enforcement Bureau. The Patrol Bureau is the most visible unit and consists of the officers seen in police cars, on foot beats, and on the beach quads. Patrol officers are assigned geographical areas known as beats. The city is broken down into 12 beats to allow sufficient coverage 24 hours a day. This assignment is for an entire deployment period which allows the officer to become familiar with addresses and community problems. The Traffic/Aero Bureau consists of motorcycle traffic officers, helicopter operations, parking control officers, and the crossing guard details. The Special Enforcement Bureau is made up of officers assigned to Directed Enforcement, Special Enforcement (such as Downtown Main Street or Bella Terra areas), Neighborhood Enhancement.

The Investigation Division is responsible for the Crimes Against Persons Unit, Crimes Against Property Unit and the Bunco/Forgery Unit. It also has the Jail, Records Bureau, Property Unit, Crime Lab and the Special Investigations Bureau.