New civilian crime investigators could return officers to patrols
Melissa Lower worked as an Oklahoma City 911 dispatcher for more than three years.
She had a bachelor’s degree in forensic science from the University of Central Okla- homa, so when she saw a job listing for a civilian position with the police department, she applied.
Lower is one of the first four civilian investigation specialists (CIS) hired to work in a police department pilot program.
“I thought it would be fun to go out and serve the commu- nity,” she said. “It’s like a Cracker Jack box; you’re never going to know what you get.”
The four civilian investigation specialists, along with two civilian crime scene investigators, graduated from a fiveweek training program Friday
morning at police headquarters.
“I have always had a big respect for the police department and I have always been interested in CSI ... so I thought this was a good job and a good opportunity to combine both,” said Audrey Mann, a civilian investigation specialist.
The six graduates will spend the next eight weeks on the street, doing field training, police Capt. Dexter Nelson said.
“We want the public to know these investigators will be out on the street. ... they will be in a uniform that will look like a police officer, but they will not be armed. They will not respond to any call that can involve any suspect being in the scene or any call that will require an officer present,” Nelson said.
“They are not police officers, they are civilian investigators.”
About their work
Police Chief Bill Citty said officials used the Tucson, Ariz., Police Department’s program as a template for the new program. The Oklahoma City Police Department’s civilian investigation specialists are expected to take low-priority calls and police reports and to process crime scenes.
Low-priority crimes are those where a suspect is not present when the specialists process the scene, such as residential and commercial burglaries, vandalisms, auto burglaries, white collar crimes and identity theft.
“This allows us to take the calls off of sworn police officers — again, having them more available for calls for service where you need a sworn police officer versus a civilian,” Citty said.
With the hiring of its first two civilian crime scene investigators, the Oklahoma City Police Department is starting to transform its crime scene investigations unit, Citty said.
“We have really talked about it for years about possibly civilianizing the CSI unit. We have always had sworn-in officers in those positions, but it really doesn’t have to be,” the chief said. “There are so many programs out there like the one at UCO that students are going through that really qualify them for those positions.”
Returning to patrols
It was among the recommendations in a 2010 study that the department staff the unit with civilians and put the officers back in the field in enforcement positions, he said.
“It allows us to put those sworn officers back into the positions where you need a person who carries a gun and is capable of enforcing the law,” Citty said.
As officers retire or transfer out of the unit, civilian crime scene investigators will be hired until all the positions are filled by civilians, Citty said. No commissioned police positions will be eliminated.
One of the two civilian crime scene investigators is Kiersten Finkle, a recent graduate from UCO, who has both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in forensic science and minors in biology, chemistry and criminal justice.
“I always had a deep love for science when I was growing up, and when I found out about forensic science I was hooked,” Finkle said. “And once I found out more and more, I knew crime scene investigations was where I wanted to be.
“I expect to be constantly surprised. I think every day is going to be a new day, whether it is the seventh homicide I’ve worked or not, I expect it to be completely different and new.”
Applicants who applied for the positions were required to have at least a bachelor’s degree in forensic science, law enforcement, criminal justice or crime scene investigation.
“They all come to us with a certain degree of expertise, and this way, we don’t have to initially train them to that full extent,” Nelson said, “but we will acclimate them to law enforcement and the types of investigations they will work.”
The switch will save the department money, Citty said.
“It will cost you more if you have an officer go take a report out in the field versus having a civilian taking that report,” he said.
DURANGO, Colo. — Teams looking for a 13-year-old boy last seen in November during a visit with his father have found his remains in southwest Colorado, La Plata County sheriff’s officials said Thursday.
Authorities said Wednesday that a five-day search for signs of Dylan Redwine ended with the teams finding several undisclosed items.
Some of the items included bones, they said Thursday. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation told La Plata County sheriff’s officials Thursday that testing indicated the remains were Dylan’s.
“The parents are obviously devastated. It’s not the kind of news we were hoping to give them. We were hoping to find him alive,” Durango police Lt. Ray Shupe said. “Our hearts are broken that this is the end result.”
No suspects named
The criminal investigation into his disappearance is continuing, sheriff’s office spokesman Dan Bender said. District Attorney Todd Risberg said it was too early to say whether charges might be filed. No suspects or persons of interest have been named.
Dylan’s family didn’t return phone messages from The Associated Press. His father, Mark Redwine, told some Denver media outlets he was focusing on giving Dylan a proper burial.
The boy lived in the Monument area with his mother, Elaine Redwine, but arrived in La Plata County on Nov. 18 for a court-ordered visit in Vallecito with his father, Mark Redwine. The father said he returned home from running errands Nov. 19 to find Dylan was gone.
About 45 officers spent five days searching a 12mile stretch of Middle Mountain Road looking for clues in the case this week. The search had been planned as a follow-up after snow melted this spring.
The latest search was conducted in the deep canyons and dense forest of the Middle Mountain area, north of Vallecito Lake.
The remains were found about 8 to 10 miles from Mark Redwine’s home by searchers using rural roads, Bender said.
Shupe declined to comment on what else searchers found with Dylan’s remains, or how and when Dylan might have died.
“Now that we’ve found him, our next mission is to find exactly what happened to him,” he said.
The case drew national attention, including an appearance by the parents on the “Dr. Phil” show.
During the show, Elaine Redwine and Mark Redwine each accused the other of responsibility for their son’s disappearance.
Bender said investigators earlier spent five days building a dam in a fruitless attempt to search the reservoir, and searches have occurred weekly since the snow melted.