Criminal Investigation Division (CID)

Mission
The mission of the Lynnwood Police Department Criminal Investigations Division is to deliver the highest quality of investigative service for the residential and business community of Lynnwood in order to hold accountable those who commit criminal offenses.

Detective Gillebo inventories evidence at a crime scene

Personnel
Authorized staffing includes a Commander of Investigations, a sergeant in charge of crimes against persons, a sergeant in charge of crimes against property, three person’s crimes detectives, four property crimes detectives, one administrative detective, one domestic violence coordinator and one investigative assistant.

Activity
In 2009 case assignments were up 20% as compared to 2008. While the workload increased, the output of the division matched that workload by closing 14% more cases than in 2008. CID was able to accomplish this by being fully staffed, and through an excellent work ethic combined with a focus on case management. The division continued to emphasize a 45-day case turn-around benchmark and overall this resulted in timely, efficient and professional investigations.

Unlike many jurisdictions, the Lynnwood Police Department continues to investigate misdemeanor crimes that have solvability factors. Through hard work and dedication to service, CID detectives were able to investigate these minor crimes while simultaneously maintaining the lowest decline rate in Snohomish County on felony crimes for 2009.

Every criminal case report is reviewed by one of two CID sergeants, who determine if there are solvability factors. If there are, the case is assigned for investigation. All Part I violent crimes are assigned for investigation whether there are solvability factors present or not. Every closed case is reviewed by a CID sergeant to ensure the quality of the investigation and the appropriateness of the closure. In addition to that review, a closure letter is sent to the reporting party or victim to advise them of the outcome of the investigation.

Enforcement measures
A key statistical measurement for the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) is the measure of “potentially solvable cases resulting in criminal enforcement” calculated as a percentage of assigned cases. This is a single statistical snapshot of how effective the investigators are at taking cases with solvability potential and being able to gain enough information to either arrest or file charges on a suspect or suspects.

A second valuable statistical measure is “criminal charges by arrest”. This statistic illustrates that percentage of cases where enforcement is taken by arrest rather than by filing charges. This is an important measure for a few reasons.

One reason is that it means the suspect is placed into physical custody when probable cause exists and therefore is unable to victimize others while in custody. In addition, the suspect has to face their crimes sooner than those who remain free while awaiting a charging decision or a warrant being issued for their arrest that may not be served for a lengthy period of time.

Another important consideration is that if the suspect is taken into custody the detective will have an opportunity to interview them which will further the investigation. These interviews and interrogations are vitally important in providing prosecutors with as complete of a picture as possible of what occurred in a particular incident. The proactive arrest and interview/interrogation of suspects is a continued area of focus for CID detectives.

As illustrated in the preceding chart 2009 saw an improvement in both of these key statistical measures. Of particular note is an over 10% improvement in “enforcement by arrest”. As addressed in the 2008 CID annual report and continuing through the present this has been a key point of emphasis as we look to increase the proactive nature and effectiveness of the division.

Accomplishments and Cases of Interest:

• Detectives received a tip on a 2006 arson investigation that had occurred at a Lynnwood church and resulted in 1.5 million dollars in damage. The suspect was located, interviewed and eventually confessed to the arson.
• Detectives were called to an explosion at a Lynnwood apartment. The explosion was so forceful it blew windows out of their frames. An extensive and detailed investigation led to the interview and interrogation of a neighbor who confessed to the crime.
• Detectives and patrol officers responded to the scene of a takeover bank robbery involving two masked suspects who were armed. One of the suspects fired a weapon during the robbery. Detectives and crime scene technicians documented the scene and were able to locate the bullet and casing from the suspect’s gun. The suspects were involved in a series of robberies primarily at casinos and were eventually captured. A firearm was recovered and is being compared to the bullet and casing from the Lynnwood Robbery.
• A Lynnwood detective working a 2008 financial scam known as a “pigeon drop”, in which an elderly Lynnwood resident had $60,000 stolen was able to locate a suspect. Several months of bank record search warrants and surveillance led to the detective developing probable cause to arrest the suspect. The suspect attempted a similar scam and became involved in a physical confrontation with the victim and was arrested.
• Another pattern robber struck two Lynnwood convenience stores and was later captured after intelligence analysts who were working with detectives from the region were able to warn local jurisdictions of this pattern. The suspect has been charged for the Lynnwood robberies.
• Lynnwood detectives initiated a complex fraud investigation involving fraudulent credit card purchases over the internet. The United States Secret Service was also seeking this suspect who was located by Lynnwood detectives in a local apartment. A search warrant resulted in the recovery of a large amount of fraudulently purchased merchandise and the arrest of the suspects.
• Lynnwood detectives investigated an organized retail theft ring where an adult was using his minor and young adult children and friends to steal items which were then resold. Detectives conducted a search warrant and recovered a large amount of stolen property. The suspect was arrested and is pending charges.

Statistics	2008	2009	%   Change
Assigned Cases	1,525	1,833	32%
Cleared Cases	1,569	1,783	32%
Physical Arrests	354	380	8%
Potential Solvable Cases Resulting in Criminal Action	58%	66%	8%
Criminal Charges by Arrest	67%	78%	10%

Domestic Violence Coordinator
The Domestic Violence Coordinator serves as the liaison between the victims of domestic violence, the prosecutor’s office and the detectives investigating the case. Our Coordinator, Megan Sweeney, has a background in domestic violence advocacy and police and fire dispatching. As illustrated in the adjacent table, Megan was very active in 2009. Megan contacts all DV victims and is critical to the adjudication of these cases. Additionally, Megan advocates victim services and serves as a trainer in domestic violence classes sponsored by the Snohomish County Domestic Violence Task Force.

Physical DV Statistics	2008	2009	% Change
Cases
Criminal Cases	477	536	12%
Verbal Cases	216	324	50%
New Victims	370	434	17%
Services Provided
Phone Calls	1,827	2,355	29%
In-Person Contacts	193	258	34%
Letters	68	54	-21%
Follow-ups	67	180	169%
Victim Gender
Victim - Female	358	391	9%
Victim - Male	118	145	23%
Victim Race
White	349	396	13%
Black	44	53	20%
Asian	24	26	8%
Hispanic	47	44	-6%
Other	13	17	31%
Victim Age Range
<19	68	69	1%
20-29	157	181	15%
30-39	83	128	54%
40-49	114	108	-5%
50-59	37	50	8%
60+	18	11	-39%
Children
Children in House	153	221	44%
Child Witness	127	156	23%
Adult Witnesses	264	320	24%

.