Divisions
The Criminal Investigation Division of the Northern Regional Police Department is responsible for handling cases that are in need of further investigation. These cases usually involve more work that what is practical for a patrol officer to accomplish on their shift.
The detectives assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division have both spent many years as patrol officers prior to their current assignments. This is generally the case for most officers who are appointed to the position of detective in a police agency. It allows them to gain plenty of experience doing everyday police work before being asked to handle serious cases, thus requiring them to utilize their years of training and experience to aid them in solving these types of cases.
Cases that our investigators will typically handle may include thefts, frauds, burglaries, robberies, illicit drug investigations and deaths. In cases where a crime is very serious and complex in nature, our agency may also request the assistance of an outside agency and partner with them during the investigation, e.g. Allegheny County Police, Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, Attorney General’s Office, FBI, DEA, Secret Service etc. This is done because some cases may extend well beyond the jurisdiction of our municipalities requiring a lot of travel and labor intensive work, as well as prosecution that may involve multiple agencies and jurisdictions. Additionally, we have one detective assigned to Pittsburgh’s FBI Violent Crimes Task Force which allows our agency to partner with federal resources.
Detectives assigned to the Criminal Investigative Division receive specialty training that assists them in performing their duties with greater ease and success. They receive training on interview and interrogation techniques, processing crime scenes (including locating and lifting fingerprints), handling evidence, and other investigative procedures.