Criminal Investigations

Criminal Investigative Division

The Criminal Investigative Bureau provides professional investigative services to the City of Alexandria. This bureau is responsible for conducting and supervising all Alexandria Police investigations of serious crimes, less serious crimes upon request and special interest investigations as directed by the Chief of Police.

Detectives primarily investigate felony-level crime and provide criminal investigative support to the Patrol Division. They conduct a broad spectrum of criminal investigations to include deaths, sexual assault, armed robbery, burglaries, fraud, computer crimes and counter-drug operations. They search out the full facts of a situation, organize the facts into a logical summary of investigative data, and present this data to the District Attorney’s Office.

The Criminal Investigative Bureau also provides criminal intelligence and forensic investigative support for the Patrol Division. The Detectives assigned to this bureau work closely with other local, state, federal, and military law enforcement agencies to counter and investigate the most serious crimes. 

Regardless of the type of crimes investigated, its performance has invariably been at or above the standards of its nationwide law enforcement agency peers.

“Quaere Verum; Seek the Truth”

Crimes Against Persons

The mission of the Crimes Against Persons Division is to provide the effective investigation of crimes while apprehending criminals, assisting crime victims and protecting the community.

Crimes against persons are a category of crime that consist of offenses that usually involve causing or attempting to cause bodily harm or a threat of bodily harm. These actions are taken without the consent of the victim against whom the crime is being committed.

Members of this Division are responsible for investigating:

  • Homicides
  • Robberies
  • Felonious assaults
  • Child abuse
  • Sexual assaults
  • Gang crimes
  • Kidnapping
  • Missing persons
  • Hate crimes
  • Domestic Violence

Crimes Against Property​

Crimes Against Property is a category of crime that includes burglary, motor vehicle theft, theft, arson, vandalism and shoplifting. It involves the taking of property or money and does not include a threat of force or use of force against the victim. Generally, thefts where the loss amounts to $1,000 or more are considered felonies, whereas losses of less than $1,000 are considered misdemeanors.

Members of this Division are responsible for investigating:

  • Felony Criminal Damage to Property
  • Burglary
  • Felony Theft
  • Identity Theft
  • Computer related Crimes
  • Auto Theft

Financial Crimes

The Financial Crimes Division investigates financial related crimes. 

Modern technology has significantly affected the types of financial crimes typically reported. Identity theft, for example, is a high tech crime to which specially trained investigators are assigned.

Just about anything that involves the illegal transfer of money or negotiable documents by way of a check, credit card, debit card, or any other type of access device.  (This usually does not include the outright theft of cash money.  That is treated as a property crime.)

Some of the common names of these types of crimes are forgery, access device fraud (commonly referred to as credit card fraud), unauthorized use of an access card as theft and Identity theft.  

Crime Scene Investigations

The Crime Scene Investigations Division is responsible for the collection, packaging, and processing of all major crime scenes in the City of Alexandria.  This Division responds to all unnatural deaths, whether homicide or suicide, all rapes, most crimes involving serious injuries and all business robberies.  The CSI also assists Uniform Patrol with the processing of burglaries, fatal traffic accidents, arson cases and mass fatalities.

The Alexandria Police Departments Crime Scene Investigations Division also works hand in hand with surrounding agencies that call for our assistance in criminal investigations.

Juvenile Division

The mission of the Alexandria Juvenile Division is to conduct criminal investigations and answer public complaints involving at risk youths. 

A juvenile’s first encounter with the legal system is often with a police officer. For this reason, Juvenile Detectives are specially trained to enforce the law while trying to get help for the underage offender. The Juvenile Detectives are expected to be part social worker, administrator and crime fighter.

Our goal is to address juvenile crimes and methods of diverting at risk youths from the Juvenile Justice System. It is our policy to aggressively investigate any incident involving a juvenile as a victim or perpetrator of a crime.

In the Louisiana Revised Statues Title 14:92.1 (B) and the Louisiana Children’s Code Article 116, a juvenile is defined as any child under the age of seventeen.

Narcotics

The Narcotics Division is tasked with fighting the war on illegal drugs, the #1 crime problem facing cities, parishes, states and the Nation. Illegal drugs are a major problem, because of their destructive effect on the individual as well as being a contributing factor in more than 60% of other crimes. The Narcotics Division works with all local law enforcement agencies to try and reduce the illegal drugs in the City of Alexandria. The Alexandria Police Department’s Narcotics Division is also a member of a Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force.

Can I Report Drug Activity Anonymously?

Narcotics activity may be reported anonymously. However, it is generally preferred by Narcotics Division personnel that the identity of the complainant be obtained. This will assist officers if arrests are made and testimony in court is required. If a citizen requests anonymity for fear of retaliation or any other reason, officers will conduct their investigation without the identity of the complainant.

A citizen who has a friend or relative they suspect is selling narcotics may contact Narcotics Division personnel telephonically and advise them of their situation. It is not necessary for the investigating officer to know the identity of the complainant. If the identity of the complainant is divulged to the investigating office, at the request of the complainant, this information will be kept confidential.

What Specific Information Should I Obtain Before Calling the Police?

Several questions will be asked of the complainant to assist the investigators in resolving the narcotics complaint. The information below will give you an idea of what questions may be asked. The following information will assist us in conducting our narcotics investigation.

  • The location of the narcotics activity.
  • Whether the narcotics activity is occurring in a house or an apartment.
  • The approximate time the activity is occurring
  • A complete description of the dealer or dealers.
  • The type of narcotics being used (cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, etc.)
  • Where the drugs are being hidden if the suspected dealer is selling them on the street (if known)
  • Whether or not there are lookouts to warn dealers of the approach by police officers.
  • A description of the dealer’s vehicle if one is used.

Obviously, some of this information will not be known to the complainant. Investigating officers will still conduct an investigation, even if some of this information is not known.

S.W.A.T.

The Alexandria Police Department’s SWAT team (Special Weapons and Tactics) was created in 1998. APD’s SWAT was created to deal with incidents requiring a level of police response that exceeds the equipment, training and manpower limitations of the Uniform Patrol Division. The SWAT team primarily responds to hostage situations, barricaded violent offenders, high risk warrant service, dignitary protection, riot control and other types of missions delegated by the Chief of Police.

This SWAT team consists of officers who are specially trained and equipped to respond to these types of incidents and bring them to a safe conclusion.  They have specialized equipment such as night vision, thermal imagers, ballistics protection equipment, superior lethal and non-lethal weapons, armored vehicles, and other equipment.  Our SWAT team’s mission is to save lives and protect the citizens of Alexandria.

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