26-019 Case Assignments for Investigations

It is the policy of the Department to diligently investigate crimes in order to arrest and prosecute those responsible. However, the Department must manage its resources in a reasonable, effective and efficient manner. Therefore, Investigative Unit Lieutenants or their designees will review and evaluate each incident report that falls under their investigative jurisdiction prior to assigning cases to an investigator.

When assigning felony cases for investigation, staffing levels and the following factors should be considered:

• The severity of the crime (violence during the commission of a crime is a major contributor to the severity of the crime).
• The solvability of the crime.
• The presence or lack of physical evidence.
• The presence or lack of video footage.
• The victim( s) or witness(es) willingness or reluctance to cooperate with the investigation (the lack of cooperation by a victim or witness does not automatically disqualify the case from being successfully investigated and prosecuted).
• The victim(s) or witness(es) ability to appear in court.
• Whether the case is part of a crime series.
• Other articulable reason for assignment.

Cases warranting investigation under these criteria should be assigned to a specific Investigator. The remaining unassigned cases will be administratively filed as Open/Inactive and may be activated at the discretion of the Lieutenant when additional information is presented.

When assigning cases, the Lieutenant or their designee shall enter the case assignment into Crime Data Warehouse, Case File Tracking database on the desktop and update the case information as appropriate.

Investigative Unit Lieutenants and their commanding officers retain the discretion to assign any case for investigation if they believe an investigation is warranted.

Misdemeanor cases may be reviewed by the Lieutenant or their designee, and assignment determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis.

/s/
DERRICK J. LEW
Chief of Police