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Date: 09/28/85 Revision: 05/11/20 Reviewed: 09/11/24 HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE CHAD CHRONISTER , SHERIFF STANDARD OPERATING PROCED URE Number: GEN 508.00 Page: 1 of 5 SUBJECT: CASE ASSIGNMENT AND CLEARANCE SYSTEM I. PURPOSE : The purpose of this standard operating procedure is to establish guidelines for the assignment of latent investigations and the selective screening of cases in order to determine which shall be assigned for active investigat ion and which shall be assigned for teleservice contacts. II. SCOPE : This procedure shall apply to all Sheriff’s Office personnel. III. DISCUSSION : Because of the large number of offenses reported to and investigated by the Sheriff's Office, a special procedure is required. This system must provide for the selective screening of cases that contain sufficient suspect information or that meet other solvability factors to ensure they are assigned for active follow -up. Cases with a minimal probability of resolution should be inactivated. Those with incomplete investigations that can be completed by phone are assigned to teleservice call back, thereby maximizing the efficient use of detective s and ensuring that all cases are resolved. IV. PROCEDURE : A. Assignment of cases by supervisors. 1. Supervisors assigned to latent investigative areas are responsible for case assignment, as well as control of follow -up investigations by detectives working within their respective areas. * 2. Investigations that are the responsibility of latent investigative areas shall be assigned the following areas of expertise: a. Homicide (1) Death investigations (2) Violent crimes b. Special Victims (1) Sex crimes (2) Child abuse (3) Elderly abuse c. Economic Crimes d. Traffic Homicide e. District General Offense * 3. Case assignment shall be based upon expertise and training. a. Cases shall be assigned to the appropriate latent investigative area based upon crime classification and the training of the detectives assigned. GEN 508.00 09/08/21 Page 2 of 5 b. No more than one detective shall be assigned as the Lead Investigator for any one case. This is in no way intended to discourage the “team approach ” to investigations. c. Cases having more than one crime included in the incident repor t shall be assigned to the unit having investigative authority of the greater offense, as listed in the UCR hierarchy . (1) A copy of the incident report shall be forwarded to the area responsible for the lesser offense for notification purposes only. (2) Subsequent joint investigation between the two areas shall be coordinated by the assigned section supervisor. d. When a detective supervisor transfers an investigation to another area, the supervisor shall utilize Versadex Case Management . B. Screening of Cases: 1. The purpose of case screening is to establish a system based upon solvability criteria for assigning follow -up investigation to detectives. 2. When reports of offenses to be investigated by a law enforcement detective are received: a. The latent investigative area supervisor(s) shall review the reports and determine which individual cases are to be assigned for active investigation and which cases may be reclassified with the case status of Inactive . (1) “Inactive” should be ut ilized when there are no leads or suspects . b. Reports that have incomplete investigations or appear to have leads that can be followed up by phone contact with the victim or witness , shall be designated with the status “Active/Open” and assigned to a community service aide. 3. The following types of cases shall be assigned for follow -up investigation : a. Death investigations . b. Sexual battery . c. Any case so designated by a supervisor. 4. Latent investigative area supervisors shall adhere to the following basic guidelines when designating a case status as “Active /Open .” a. Reports that contain leads, clues , or suspects (except those that have already been adequately investigated by the originating deputy) , which in the judgment of the supervisor could plausibly lead to the resolution of the case, shall be assigned for follow -up. b. Reports detailing "pattern" or "common M.O." crimes ; burglaries of an occupied structure or conveyances; grand thefts which involve a victim/suspect confrontation; cases i nvolving serious injury; or cases involving substantial loss shall be assigned for follow -up. c. Reports with deficiencies that can be corrected by phone shall be assigned to a community service aide, if available. 09/08/21 GEN 508.00 Page 3 of 5 (1) Community service aides shall be assigned, but not limited to , the following type cases: (a) The investigation lacks serial and/or model numbers of stolen property that will be located by the victim within a few days. (b) The employees or neighbors were not available at the time of the report for an inquiry of suspicious persons or unusual events leading up to the crime. (However, this is not to be used to assign cases that need neighborhood checks, crime scenes dusted for prints , or any ot her investigative technique that requires personal contact with the victim.) (2) Cases assigned to community service aides that develop new leads may be assigned to a detective for follow -up investigation