Property & Evidence, Crime Scene, Jail
The Property and Evidence Unit
is the custodian of all evidence and
property booked into the department.
In 2019, the unit collected 30,813 items
as evidence or non-evidentiary items.
Personnel regularly assist detectives
with property retrieval and manage the
customer service desk for citizens who
need to collect their personal property.
The Crime Scene Unit responds
to complex crime scenes and critical
incidents. The unit collects and
analyzes evidence and is accredited
by the ANAB/ANSI-ASQ National
Accreditation Board. This is the
highest standard available for forensic
investigation and laboratory work. In
2019, personnel responded to 451
calls for service.
In support of investigations, Crime
Scene Unit personnel made 1,026
entries into a computer database
that specializes in matching ballistic
gun evidence to crime scenes. The
results of the searches provided 98
investigative leads to detectives. The
unit evaluates every latent fingerprint
that comes into the department
through investigative means. Out of
those reviewed, there were also 1,829
fingerprints of sufficient quality that
1,829 Fingerprints
entered into criminal
justice systems
285 Matches to
suspects
Sufficient quality latent fingerprints
56
| 2019 Annual Report
were entered into criminal justice
systems resulting in 285 matches to
suspects.
The Jail Workout Unit was
expanded in 2019 with the addition
of 4 full-time detectives and
reorganization of the unit workload.
The unit filed 2,395 criminal cases and
1,995 traffic and DWI cases. Detectives
concentrate on cases for arrests on
county-level misdemeanor and felony
cases with a few exceptions (robberies,
sex crimes, homicide, and child abuse
cases).
Last year, Tarrant County imposed
a 5-day deadline to file in-custody
cases and 90-days for bond cases. In
addition, changes to marijuana testing
requirements have increased the
workload of the unit based upon the
average length of time to obtain lab
results. An example would be where
an in-custody inmate is released after
5-days due to a 20-day return on the
marijuana lab results.
The Jail is a temporary holding
facility managed by the department.
Detention officers oversee jail
operations 24-hours a day. In 2019,
15,080 persons were booked into the
jail. Out of those numbers, 2,798 or
15,080 Total persons
booked into jail
2,798 Persons booked into
jail with felony
offense
Jail detentions
19% were for felony level offenses.
Last year, the unit funded a
phlebotomist pilot program to
assist field officers in processing
DWI offenders when a magistrate
approved a search warrant for blood
evidence. This program assisted
officers in reducing the amount of
time spent with arrestees at a hospital.
The program is still under review for
consideration of being operationalized
as a regular program in the jail.
1,026 Gun crime entries
into database
98 Numer of entries
that provided leads
to detectives
Ballistic gun evidence