Sunday, November 29, 2015
By JOE GORMAN
jgorman@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
New police officers recently hired in the city are not only being shown the streets. They're also learning the ropes.
The ropes of investigation, that is, as new hires are spending a week training with detectives, learning how detectives do their job but more importantly learning what detectives need patrol officers to do or preserve when they respond to a major crime.
Chief Robin Lees said the initiative is new and came at the behest of a veteran patrol officer, Michael Cox, who has been on the force since 1999 and has worked two long stints in patrol as well as a tour with the Violent Crimes Task Force. Cox also is an FTO, or field training officer, who shepherds new hires as they begin in the patrol division, showing them departmental procedures for answering calls and getting them used to working a beat.
Lees said sometimes there is a disconnect between patrol and detectives, because the officers often work different hours and have different responsibilities. He said the new program also can help bridge those gaps as well.
After the new hires are cycled through, Lees said patrol supervisors and then veteran officers will each take a turn training with a detective.
Lees said Capt. Brad Blackburn, chief of detectives, has several things for the trainees to try and learn, including interviewing victims, suspect and witnesses; how and when to call out the department's crime lab and process evidence and how to handle evidence; how to compose a case file for a warrant or to present a case to the grand jury; and also meet with prosecutors to help review and prepare a case for court.
For almost all major crimes that are investigated by detectives, patrol officers are the first to arrive, and their job in securing witnesses and preserving evidence is crucial. Lees said having patrol officers learn from a detective's perspective about what could be essential at a crime scene for an investigation is invaluable.
Cox said he thinks it is a good idea because often when he answers a call and tells people a detective will be in touch with them, they ask what that will entail. Cox said it is hard to give a detailed answer, but now with officers learning how detectives do their jobs, they will be able to give more information to residents, which will help them prepare and also give them a peace of mind.
Cox and Lees both said the initiative also will help detectives to get know members of the patrol division, especially newer officers.
Lees and Cox both said it is important to learn small details that detectives depend on when investigating a case, such as the importance of a person's middle initial when writing a report, which could help in running background checks, or even getting the names of everyone in a vehicle with someone stopped for a traffic offense. If that person ever becomes part of an investigation or he or she needs help finding them, detectives can look at reports and find out with whom that person was known to associate, which could make it easier to get information.
Visiting with prosecutors also can help officers know from their perspective what kinds of things they will need in court to present to a jury when an officer responds to an initial call, Lees and Cox said.