Homicide Term Paper

Virtual Police Department

Virtual Police Department

Important Units

The homicide unit looks into cases that involve mysterious murders. The unit comprises of officers and scientists who mastered the art of investigation. They are the bets crime solvers in the unit and do not stop until they establish the cause of death. The unit is helpful to the department in that it will investigate in homicide cases that they may come across in the field. They will work greatly with the patrol unit in recreating the scenes that lead to the death. Apart from that, they will be in need of the criminal gang unit when it comes to bursting the criminals.

Sex Crimes

Sex crimes unit deals with crimes that involve sexual assault be it a minor or senior. They dig deep into facts and try to establish the causes of such crimes. With all the facts and evidence collected, the unit gives the information to the specific units that will handle the whole case. That is the reason the unit is important to the department. It will handle all the matters and evidences found at the scene of the crime. It will interact with the others by working hand in hand in some of the cases. For instance, they will help the homicide department in looking into crimes that have traces of sexual assault in it.

Narcotics and Vice

The unit’s specialty is narcotics as per the name. They have the best info in the drugs found in the black market. This unit usually has a deeper background regarding vendor locations, distribution systems, and how people are affected by the manace. The unit will come in handy to the department in narrowing down the common drugs and stopping its distribution. They will relate well to the canine and homicide department in cases that involve narcotics.

Criminal Gangs

The unit deals specifically with gang related wars. They have special officers who underwent training in combating gangs. They have a high level of intelligence and strategies that will make busting the criminals easy. The unit is important to police the department in that it will assist in the combat. They are the best unit in finishing an investigation done by the other units. It will work in handy with the canine unit in busting out tough or armed criminals. The unit can work closely with the patrol unit in coming up with plans to attack a gang. They will work side by side in making sure the mission is successful.

Patrol Unit

Patrol unit is arguably the most common unit within the police department. It composes of corporals, sergeants, detectives, lieutenant among others. Their main work is to keep the state or county safe and secure. They are the ants in the police department; they handle most of the basic crimes. Due to their nature of work, they are the most important unit in a police department. They handle most of the cases and have a better idea of the activities that happen on the ground. Their feature is the reason they are chosen. They will work in handy with all the other units and easily fit in every situation.

Canine

The unit is best known for its trained dogs. The dogs undergo special training in search and retrieval missions. Apart from that, they are in a position to establish different drugs and harmful substances such as poison or ammunition. Dogs are faster than people in both running and sleekness, and they are the best unit in chasing armed robbers or run away. Their features qualify them to join the police department and work with all units in their missions. They will come in handy to the criminal gang and patrol unit during standoffs and sniffing out traces and harmful products. They will help the homicide and sex crimes unit to sniff out tracks left behind by the criminals.

Unimportant Units

Crime Analysis
The primary work of this unit is to look into the crimes happening in the city or region and establish a report showing progress made towards restoring normalcy. They are good at keeping statistics and advising in what needs more improvement. However, their nature of work does not allocate them a slot in the department since the main aim is to combat crime and not analyse it. In a way it would be helpful to the department in that, they will show whether the unit is making progress in their missions.

Motor Pool

The main job of the unit is to deliver services to businesses and departments using safe equipment like police cars, armored trucks. They act as the mechanics for the police department. It is their job to ensure all the cars are fit for their respective jobs. Though their job is unique and important, it does not fit the nature of the police department at hand.

Front Desk

The basic unit of the police department. They deal with the crimes reported to the police station directly by the victims. They handle the paperwork, interviews and a description given to them by the victims. They help in filling out some of the important cases like missing people and hand over the documents to the respective units. However, the nature of their job confines them to the office, and there is no way they can help in the department. Most of the unit will be out looking for the criminals and will not rely on evidence brought forth to the offices. The patrol unit will act as a front office unit for the department.

Cybercrime

The unit looks at the crimes done using the internet. The common name for such a crime is hacking, and computer geeks conversant with black hat coding usually execute this form of crime. The main aim of the hackers is to penetrate the police systems and cause havoc in the country. The unit comprises of police officers who are good in hacking and dedicate their time in catching the people trying to penetrate the network. Though they have great skills and are quite important, they do not fit into the police department since most of the crimes are in the ground. The unit best suits departments that investigate dangerous criminals or terrorists.

Important Non-Departmental Units

Chief of Police
The Chief of Police is the highest rank in the police force. They are in charge of the police department. Unlike other positions, the mayor or selected council of commissioners elect the chief of police. In other words, they can either hire or fire a person without necessarily seeking consent from others. They handle most of the issues in the department like talking to the press and commissioning missions. The main reason for choosing the unit, is to have a person who will fund the whole operation. Having the chief of police heading the whole department guarantees the other units’ availability of funds and permission. The department will interact individually with each unit to ensure they have the best tools to make the mission a success.

Commanders

The main job of the commanders is to head a unit or several units in a department. Their work is to ensure everything goes well in a mission done by the units. They act as a link between the chief of police and the units. Their nature of work does not allow them the freedom of joining other in battle, but they are important in terms of conducting the paper works for the units. The department will help the units to come up with plans to combat and assign specific procedures and missions to the suited departments.

References

Alliance, U. (2015). Law Enforcement Chain of Command. Retrieved from University of St. Thomas Minnesota: http://www.stthomasonline.com/resources/law-enforcement/police-hierarchy-and-rank/#.VMlhrGiUfL8
American Police Hierarchy. (2013). Retrieved from Hierarchy Structure: http://www.hierarchystructure.com/american-police-hierarchy/
Harris, L. (2014). What is a Police Motor Pool? Retrieved from eHow: http://www.ehow.com/facts_7197311_police-motor-pool_.html
SDPD Units. (2014). Retrieved from San Diego Police Department: http://www.sandiego.gov/police/services/units/