Support Operations Bureau
Criminal InvestigationsDivision
The Support Operations Bureau –
Criminal Investigations Division is
broken up into three distinct areas:
Special Investigations Section, Criminal
Investigations Section, and Covert
Operations Section.
Special Investigations is comprised of
Domestic Crimes, Economic Crimes,
Crimes Against Children, and the Auto
Theft Unit, which contributes staffing to
the Tarrant Regional Auto Crimes Task
Force.
In 2014, the Crimes Against Children
Unit worked closely with an out of
state law enforcement agency to
capture a suspected child molester
who had settled in Arlington after
allegedly committing multiple acts of
sexual child abuse against two girls in
Oregon. By working across
state lines, detectives were
able to help put a dangerous
child predator behind bars.
Criminal Investigations includes
the Homicide, Fugitive, Gang
Enforcement, and Robbery/
Gang Investigation Units.
In February 2014, a homicide
investigation prompted detectives to
reach out to the community for tips
using local news coverage and social
media. A young man working in an
Arlington shoe store was fatally shot
during a robbery. Surveillance video of
the robbery and a vehicle leaving the
location were released to the public.
One tip led detectives to a 21-yearold man who admitted to being at the
shoe store, and a search of his home
revealed evidence believed to have
been used in the crime.
The Gang Unit couples community
outreach with enforcement in an effort
to reduce gang-related crime. One
community outreach program includes
the Home Visit Program. In this
program, gang officers make visits to
the homes of kids who show the initial
signs of gang involvement but are not
yet identified as gang members. The
goal of the program is to prevent the
kids from participating in gangs by
making their parents aware of the
activity.
Covert Operations consists of the Vice
and Narcotics Units, and has officers
working in the Tarrant County Narcotics
Unit.
The Narcotics Unit partnered with the
Drug Enforcement Agency to develop
the Drug Take Back program, which
affords an opportunity for people to
drop off their unwanted prescriptions
and over-the-counter medications.
In 2014, more than 3,500 pounds of
unwanted medicine was dropped off
during two Drug Take Back events in
Arlington.
The Vice Unit had previously been
awarded a Human Trafficking Grant
that addresses crimes related to
sex and labor-related
trafficking. In 2014,
the unit completed
71 training sessions
for 2,800 law
enforcement
officers and
partners. The unit also
sponsored the 2014 Human
Trafficking Institute: Investigating
Beneath the Surface, a conference
which was attended by over 225
officers. The Human Trafficking Task
Force conducted 8 operational stings
during the year and conducted 10
investigations that led to the rescue of
victims of human sex trafficking.
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