The Criminal Investigative Division (CID) is a component of the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council’s Criminal Investigation Division. Its mission is to provide investigative assistance to the Metropolitan Special Tactics and Response Division (Metro-STAR). It is staffed by detectives and detective supervisors who perform investigative tasks in support of member agencies and other METRO-LEC Units
Primarily, the RRT is deployed to handle or unruly large crowds, locate missing persons, or apprehend escaped subjects. Metro SWAT is deployed to serve high-risk warrants, apprehend violent fugitives, or manage hostage/ barricade subject (HOBAS) incidents. ISU detectives may be of assistance to the RRT and SWAT in virtually all applications. If the RRT is tasked with managing a large crowd, detectives may mingle with protesters or place themselves at the fringes of the crowd for the purpose of gathering intelligence. In the case of a missing person, investigative leads away from the primary search site may require resolution. The SWAT team will often benefit from interviews with a hostage takers friends and family, or in the case of a high-risk warrant, from pre-raid surveillance.
ISU members are also all members of METRO-LEC’s Nationally certified Child Abduction Response Team (CART). CART is deployed in the event of a missing or abducted Child. CART brings Detectives and Officers from many of METRO-LECs Units together as a force multiplier. Defectives and Officers are able to quickly deploy a number of resources in an attempt to bring the event to a quick and successful resolution.
As with all Metro-LEC services, the ISU exists to serve the needs of the host agency. Detectives responding to an RRT or SWAT callouts report to the incident commander, in most cases through the Intelligence Officer within the Incident Command System (ICS). In many cases, investigative work will be coordinated by a detective from the host agency.
The following is a sample of investigative tasks that may be assigned to ISU detectives during callouts:
Missing Persons
Large or Unruly Crowds
Hostage/Barricade Incidents
High-Risk Warrant Service
Child Abduction Team
Public Information Officers