Policy Text
Page 1 of 4 - General Order 7-1 (11/30/23 )
PRELIMINARY AND FOLLOW -UP INVEST IGATIONS
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDER
Subject: PRELIMINARY AND FOLLOW –UP
INVESTIGATIONS
Chapter
7 Number
1 # Pages
4
Chief of Police :
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this directive is to establish minimum guidelines for officers and detectives to
conduct well -organized preliminary and follow -up investigations.
II. SUMMARY OF CHANGE
This policy is due for review.
III. POLICY
It is the policy of the Richmond Police Department to set forth basic responsibilities for
officers and detectives involved in conducting preliminary and follow -up investigations.
IV. ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMEN T
All employees are expected to fully comply with the guidelines and timelines set forth in
this General Order. Failure to comply will result in appropriate corrective action.
Responsibility rests with the Division Commander to ensure that any violations of policy
are investigated and appropriate training, counseling and/or disciplinary action is initiated.
This directive is for internal use only, and does not enlarge an employee’s civil liability in
any way. It should not be construed as the creation of a higher standard of safety or case in
an evidentiary sense, with respect to third party claims. Violation of this directive, if
proven, can only form the basis of a complaint by this Department, and then only in a non -
judicial administrative setting. References:
CALEA : 42.1.2 , 42.1.4 , 42.2.1 a-d, 42.2.2 a-h, 55.2.4f
Related Orders: 2 -6, 6-2,
7-2 and 7 -3 Effective Da te: 11/30/ 2023
Revised By: Review
Prv. Rev. Date: 05/12/2020
Page 2 of 4 - General Order 7-1 (11/30/23 )
PRELIMINARY AND FOLLOW -UP INVEST IGATIONS V. PROCEDURE
A. Preliminary Investigations [CALEA 42.1.4 ]
1. Officers will be responsible for generally conduct ing the majority of
preliminary investigations as they commonly have the first contact with
citizens requesting police services.
2. Detectives will also be assigned and be responsible for conduct ing preliminary
investigations in special situations when it is advantageous to have a detective
respond initially.
3. Officers and detectives conducting preliminary investigations shall be
responsible for t he following: [CALEA 42.2.1a, 42.2.1b , 42.2.1c]
a) Respond to all assigned calls for service as promptly and safely as
possible and observe all conditions, events and remarks.
[CALEA 42.2.1a ]
b) Locate and identify victims, witness es and plausible suspects.
[CALEA 42.2.1b ]
(1) In cases which would not be considered major or special in
nature, officers shall interview victims, witnesses and
suspects.
(2) In cases which would be considered major or special in
nature, detectives shall be called in to interview involved
parties and officers will assist as necessary.
(3) Nothing prohibits an officer from allowing suspects to make
voluntary statements. [CALEA 42.2.1d ]
c) Maintain the crime scene, protect and secure all evidence, and
arrange for the collection of such evidence following the procedures
set forth in General Order 7-3, Crime Scene Protection.
[CALEA 42.2.1c ]
d) Immediately notify their first line (immediate) supervisor who will, in
turn, n otify the Watch Commander as outlined in General Order 2-6,
Watch Commanders and Notification.
e) Arrest offenders or take other appropriate action as circumstances
dictate.
f) Conduct thorough, accurate and efficient preliminary investigations
on all legiti mate calls for police service, which shall result in a
documented report by following guidelines set forth in General
Order 6-2, Incident Based Reporting (IBR).
Page 3 of 4 - General Order 7-1 (11/30/23 )
PRELIMINARY AND FOLLOW -UP INVEST IGATIONS B. Follow -Up Investigations [CALEA 42.1.2 , 42.1.4 ]
1. Detectives will be responsible for conduct ing the majority of follow -up
investigations, specifically regarding those pertaining to life-threatening
shootings, homicides, rapes , robberies and other serious violent and major
crimes when requested by the supervisor on scene.
2. Officers are responsible and expected to conduct follow -up investigations in
the following instances:
a) When there is a reasonable chance of immediately identifying and
apprehending a suspect ;
b) When t here is a need for obtaining additional information for the
preliminary investigation report;
c) When t here are other compelling circumstances ; and/or,
d) When assigned by a supervisor.
3. Officers are responsible and expected to follow -up on preliminary
investigations to the extent that available resources permit and shall consult
their immediate supervisor prior to conducting lengthy follow -up
investigations.
4. Degree of seriousness and case solvability factors will be considered in
transferring a nd assigning a case to a detective for follow -up. When an
investigation falls into one of the following categories, a detective