Policy Text
Page 1 of 24
ZEPHYRHILLS POLICE DEPARTMENT
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
Standard Operating Procedure: 09.01
Subject: Criminal Investigation
Effective Date: July 4 , 202 3
Scope: All
Rescinds: 700.00
Revised: June 20 , 202 3
Reviewed: June 20 , 202 3
Pages: 24
CONTENTS: This procedure consists of the following numbered sections:
I. Detective Availability
II. Latent and Restricted Investigation Case Management
III. Preliminary Investigations
IV. Follow -up Investigations
V. Criminal Investigation Procedures
VI. Surveillance Operations
VII. Undercover Operations, Reverses, Decoys, and Raids
VIII. Technical Aids
IX. Constitutional Requirements During Criminal Investigations
X. Miranda Warnings
XI. Interview Rooms
XII. Interviews
XIII. Interviews Involving Special Circumstances
XIV. Interrogations
XV. Confe ssions and Admissions
XVI. Subpoenas for Hospital Records
XVII. Task Force Agreements
PURPOSE: The purpose of this standard operating procedure is to establish guidelines for the
conduct and operation of Criminal Investigations.
Page 2 of 24 POLICY: The function of Criminal Investigations is to achieve justice by identifying the
offender and making it possible to sustain the State's burden of criminal proof in a trial. The goal
of law enforcement is to protect life and property from the crimi nal element. Criminal
investigations are an integral and essential part of law enforcement.
I. DETECTIVE AVAILABILITY:
A. A monthly on -call detective schedule shall be generated by the Criminal Investigations
Division ( CIS) supervisor.
B. Patrol supervisors shal l notify the C riminal Investigations Section s upervisor of all types
of crimes or incidents that the on -duty supervisor feels warrants immediate attention.
C. On-call detectives shall:
1. Remain within radio/telephone contact.
2. Refrain from any off -duty activiti es that would prohibit him/her from immediately
responding to a call in a reasonable amount of time.
D. The detective’s failure to comply with these requirements or respond in a timely fashion
may lead to discipline.
II. LATENT AND RESTRICTED INVESTIGATION CASE MANAGEMENT:
A. Detectives assigned to criminal i nvestigations shall utilize the d epartment’s Records
Management System (RMS) and investigative case files to efficiently and effectively
manage latent investigations.
B. Assigned Cases: Detectives shall routinely access the case management module of the
RMS to receive new assignments and update the content of current assignments.
C. Electronic N otes: Detectives shall use the case management module of the RMS to
append electronic case notes to assigned invest igations. This should be d one frequently
to ensure current and consistent data within the d epartment’s RMS.
D. Creating I nvestigative Case Files: Detectives shall create investigative case files for
assigned investigations with active leads. Officers shall organize and maintain the
following records within the investigative case files. These include but are not limited to:
1. Pertinent investigative notes.
2. Printed forms and documents.
3. Other related material.
E. Retention and P urging of Investigative Case F iles: Detectives shall maintain inactive
investigative case files in accordance with the State’s r ecords retention guidelines.
Inactive case files s hall be purged and destroyed in accordance with the department’s
records destruction guidelines.
F. Access to I nvestigative Case Files: A detective shall limit access to his/her investigative
case files to those other law enforcement officers assigned or othe rwise assisting with a
particular investigation, inclusive of his/her respective chain of command.
Page 3 of 24 G. Secure Storage of I nvestigative Case Files: Detectives shall securely store investigative
case files within their assigned workplace.
H. Restricted I nvestigati ons: Detectives shall, as assigned, conduct restricted investigations
as defined herein.
I. Restricted Case F iles: Shall be constructed like case files and maintained separately and
securely. Active restricted case files shall not be made part of the RMS.
1. Restricted Investigative N otes: Shall be maintained within the restricted case files and
not entered into the RMS as electronic notes.
2. Restricted R ecords: Shall remain securely stored with access limited to only those
members specifically assigne d or otherw ise approved by the d epartment.
III. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS:
A. A properly conducted preliminary investigation is essential to bring a case to a
satisfactory conclusion, thereby eliminating the need for a follow -up investigation. A
preliminary investigation is an activity that starts when a police officer arrives at the
scene of an incident and begins a criminal investigation. The activity should continue
until such time as postponement of the investigation or transfer of responsibil ity will not
jeopardize the successful completion of the investigation.
B. This section outlines basic steps to be followed in conducting preliminary investigations.
Not all steps must necessarily be performed by the first officer at the scene, but may be
delegated to other officers depending on the complexity of the investigation.
1. Protect life, render aid, secure and protect the scene , as well as evidence.
2. Determine if an offense h as been committed, and if so, the exact nature of the offense.
3. Observe all co nditions, events, and remarks made by subjects at the scene. This also
includes furn