Criminal Investigation Services: detectives of the MJPS
The members of the Criminal Investigation Services department in the Moose Jaw Police Service may not wear the uniform that regular patrol officers sport, but they work on some of the most sensitive cases in the city. Cst. Sheldon MacNaughton is one of the five plainclothes officers who currently make up the CIS, and he shared the role that he plays in the investigative process. While patrol officers respond to calls as they come in, CIS officers work on an assigned caseload, often for long periods of time. “There’s always usually enough evidence to lay a charge or arrest somebody, but for CIS, it’s a question of can we gather enough evidence to get them to a point where a Crown prosecutor will actually run with a case because he believes he can get [a conviction],” said MacNaughton.
When cases hit his desk, said MacNaughton, they are about a third of the way complete in terms of a guaranteed conviction. From there, it’s his job to collect the remainder of the evidence that will turn an arrest into a conviction — a process that he finds to be a huge responsibility.
“At the end of the day, in Canada, if we’re going to deprive someone of their freedom, then there should be a process to do that, and so part of that starts with criminal investigations,” said MacNaughton.
MacNaughton’s work puts him in all kinds of situations, from interviewing children to setting up stings to catch suspects. He often works in close tandem with the Regina Police Service, as suspects often cross over into their jurisdiction.
CIS handles a number of case types, mostly those that require further investigation than patrol officers can offer. This includes situations like child abuse reports, drug and weapons investigations, serious assaults including those of a sexual nature, fraud, robbery, and homicide.
Also under their jurisdiction is running prostitution busts, continuing surveillance for a case, executing search warrants and taking warned statements, and handling informants.
MacNaughton is trained in interview techniques, as a large portion of his job involves conducting interviews to help build a case.
He specifically has training for child abuse investigations, which means he works closely with Social Services and Child and Family Services. He is also the coordinator for the Crime Stoppers campaign in Moose Jaw.
With the CIS unit, MacNaughton has worked a number of tough cases, including serious offences like extortion, sexual assault, and even homicide.
For him, the extensive legwork that he and other CIS officers do is always worth the effort, even if it uncovers that there isn’t any immediate threat.
“At the end of the day, I want to build a case. I deal in facts,” said MacNaughton. “Did this happen or not happen, that’s really what I want to get to.”
Details for this article were collected as part of the Moose Jaw Express’s attendance at the Community Police Academy.