Detective Division
The Detective Division is comprised of several
investigative units within the police
department. They are listed below.
Click on any of the links to get more detailed
information regarding that unit. To leave
an anonymous tip (Go to the Special Squad link
if your tip involves drug activity) or information for the
detective bureau -
click here.
Identification Bureau
Youth Bureau
Special Squad
Detective Bureau
The Detective Bureau is the largest unit within
the Detective Division and is responsible for
the investigation of crimes committed in the
City of Pawtucket. The Bureau is divided
into geographical districts, East and West, with
cases being assigned according to the location
of the offense in the City. Each district
is supervised by a Detective Supervisor. A
Detective Captain oversees the daily operations
of the Detective Bureau.
Additionally, there is one detective assigned to
investigate financial crimes, such as bad
checks, credit card fraud, embezzlement,
obtaining under false pretenses, etc.
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Detective
Bureau Table of Organization
Major
Arthur Martins
Contact Telephone: 401-727-9100 Ext. 777
Fax Number: 401-727-9117
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Financial Crimes Unit
The Financial Crimes Unit currently consists of
one detective who investigates all crimes
related to financial gain through fraud.
These crimes include credit card fraud,
embezzlement, Counterfeiting, bank fraud,
internet, check and mail scams, fraudulent
checks, and identity theft.
Financial Crimes are currently assigned to
Detective Al Mal
who can be contacted at (401) 727-9100 Ext. 724.
If you believe you are a victim of identity
theft you will need to take certain steps to
alert the proper authorities:
-
Report the
incident to any local or state law enforcement
officer immediately and file a police report
-
Call the major credit
reporting agencies and put a fraud alert on your
account.
-
Notify your bank or
credit card company in the event your checks or credit
cards were stolen and request that your accounts be
closed
-
Register a complaint with the
Federal Trade
Commission (FTC). Be prepared to fill out
affidavits of forgeries for banks, credit grantors and recipients of
stolen checks. Tel: (977) 438-4338.
-
Contact the
Social Security Office if someone is
using your social security number to establish credit or new accounts.
Tel: (800) 269-0271.
-
Report the theft of your credit cards and
request that your account be flagged to all three of the following
companies:
Equifax Credit Information Services
Tel: (800) 525-6285
Trans Union Fraud Victim Assistance
Tel: (800) 680-7289
Experian Consumer Fraud Assistance
Tel: (888) 397-3742
If you believe you have been a victim of any
other financial crime and the incident occurred within the City of Pawtucket
you must FIRST file a police report with the patrol division prior to
the FCU investigating. Please call the non-emergency telephone number
@ 401-727-9100 to report the incident. If the crime happened outside
the City of Pawtucket you must file a complaint where the incident took
place. An example would be your credit card information being stolen
(not your credit card) and purchases being made in Providence. You
must file a complaint with the Providence Police Department. A second
example would be your identity has been used to obtain a credit card in
California. You may file a complaint with the Pawtucket Police,
however, you must also file a complaint with California authorities.
Fraudulent
Check "Bad Check" Policy
-
Deposit the
check through normal channels.
-
If the check
is returned due to insufficient funds (NSF)
or any other reason except REFER TO MAKER
or STOP PAYMENT, send a certified return
receipt letter for demand of payment within
seven (7) days. If the address is old
make every effort to obtain an updated
address and send the letter to that address.
-
If the letter
is accepted, you must wait seven (7)
business days from the date accepted for
restitution to be made. If restitution
is not made, bring all the ORIGINAL paper to
the police department. Be certain to
include : check, certified return letter
with envelope (sealed) and a copy of the
letter.
-
In the case
of a STOP PAYMENT, send a certified return
receipt letter stating that they have three
(3) business days from the date of receipt
either return the merchandise or make
restitution.
The Pawtucket
Police Department will not accept:
-
Checks
without positive identification of the check
writer written on it (i.e. - Drivers
license, id card, military id)
-
3rd party
checks
-
Checks for
rent, services rendered, or repayment of
loans
-
The check
must have been transacted in the City of
Pawtucket.
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Property Crime Unit
The Pawtucket police department's property
crimes unit was formed in October 2006 and is a subdivision of the Detective
Bureau. The property crimes unit was formed in order to assist the
Detective Bureau in the tracking and recovery of stolen goods.
Detectives assigned
to this unit act as a
liaison with pawn shops, second hand dealers and scrap yards that do
business in the City of Pawtucket. In addition, they have solidified the
Bureau's professional contacts with like assigned detectives in several
other municipalities throughout Rhode Island and Southeaster Massachusetts. This
unit has continued and expanded
the Bureau's network with precious metal vendors, private security
companies, etc. A major resource utilized by the PCU in the tracking
of sold or pawned goods is the PRECIOUS METAL database managed by the
R.I. Attorney
General's Office.
Although
individual crime reports are often assigned to
other detectives, the PCU detective is often
utilized as a conduit in tracking items or in
intelligence gathering that is often necessary
to solve individual crimes. The PCU has
also routinely participated in
multi-jurisdictional investigations that has led
to the arrest of individuals that in the pas
went under the radar of detection.
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Identification Bureau
Duties and Responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities of the
Identification Bureau concern the processing of
major crime scenes such as homicides, sexual
assaults, burglaries, robberies, and arsons.
These duties include photography, videotape,
recovery of latent prints, taking measurements,
and the collection, preservation and examination
of physical evidence. Members of the
bureau also package and deliver evidence to
laboratories such as the
Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the
Rhode Island Crime Lab
and the
R.I. Department of Health.
The Bureau also assists the
R.I. State Medical
Examiners office in the
identification of victims in any death
investigation.
Crime Scene Schedule and Investigative
Procedures:
All sworn personnel assigned to the
Identification Bureau are on a rotating
twenty-four (24) hour call back schedule.
The schedule consists of one member being
readily available for call out, one week at a
time, every three weeks for serious crimes and
motor vehicle accidents.
While at crime scenes the Identification Bureau
employ the most modern techniques of crime scene
preservation, crime scene search, and the
collection, preservation, and transmission of
physical evidence. The Bureau's emphasis
is on forensic photography, lifting and
classification of latent fingerprints, and
report writing.
When items of evidence are biological in nature
they are submitted to the
Rhode Island Department of
Health.
Forensic Sciences administers
CODIS - (the
F.B.I.'s
searchable DNA database for all law enforcement
agencies). This system enables law
enforcement agencies to compare submitted
evidence collected from various crimes to be
compared to thousands of convicted felons in the
system. With this information the
Identification Bureau has the opportunity to
conclusively identify those suspected of having
committed crimes.
Administrative Assignments:
The Identification Bureau is also responsible
for the expungement of arrest records.
This requires the removal of fingerprints from
the system along with the records which must be
deleted from the police database. Upon
completion, the arrest record is then
permanently sealed or destroyed.
The personnel of the Identification Bureau are
responsible for classifying all fingerprints
which are taken utilizing the Henry fingerprint
classification system and to maintain an up to
date adult arrest file system.
The Identification Bureau is also responsible
for issuing departmental identification cards
for all active and retired police personnel.
The Bureau also assists in memorializing,
through photography, all special or historical
events within City Hall.
Sexual Offender Registration:
The Identification Bureau performs
Sexual Offender Registration which is
mandated by
R.I.G.L. 11-37.1-1
for all offenders living within the City
of Pawtucket. It is the Identification
Bureau's responsibility for the fingerprinting
and photographing of these offenders.
The Identification Bureau is also responsible
for maintaining offender information and
updating their registration forms within
separate files and our department computer
system. The Bureau works closely with the
Rhode Island Department of
Corrections, the
Sex Offender Community
Notification Unit, and other city and
state agencies.
Click here for our
Sex Offender page.
Civilian Criminal Record Checks and National
Background Checks:
The Identification Bureau provides the National
Background checks which require the
fingerprinting of civilians for specific types
of employment. The national background
checks are conducted on Wednesday's between the
hours of 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The
National Background checks and fingerprinting
are done for many different reasons such as:
adoption, firearms permits, child care, foster
care, and for the Board of Education.
The National Background checks are sent to the
F.B.I. who in
return then send the results to the Pawtucket
Police Department Identification Bureau and the
employers who requested the check.
The Identification Bureau also performs Criminal
Records checks for the City Clerks Office for
people who apply for licenses to run businesses
and for the Personnel Department for people who
are seeking employment with the City.
In addition to National Background checks, State
Criminal checks are also performed for people
seeking employment which do not require National
Background checks. The Identification
Bureau also conducts hundreds of Criminal
Records checks for the Pawtucket School
Department, Pawtucket Housing Authority, and
numerous other employing agencies within the
City.
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Youth Bureau
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