Criminal Investigations Bureau
Bureau Commander: Captain Ryan Bentley
The Criminal Investigations Bureau (CIB) is responsible for day-to-day investigative assignments. This bureau is divided into four units: Crimes Against Persons, Crimes Against Property, Family Crimes, and the Forensic Services Unit. Each unit has unique responsibilities as it relates to the investigation of criminal activity. The investigators assigned to the different units receive specialized training directly related to the types of cases they will investigate.
Crimes Against Persons Unit
The Crimes Against Persons Unit consists of 2 sergeants and 5 detectives. They are responsible for investigating cases that involve assault, battery, robbery, arson and other crimes of violence like felonious assault, malicious wounding and murder. HPD detectives have been called upon to teach criminal investigation classes to students at nearby Marshall University and have been selected to receive specialized training at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
The Crimes Against Persons Unit is also responsible for investigating cases of domestic violence, crimes against children, and sexual assaults. Due to the diverse nature of these investigations, the officers work very closely with other agencies to ensure the safety and well-being of the families they serve.
The unit is also responsible for investigating property crimes that involved family members. The members of the Family Crimes Unit took on an integral role in the establishment of a county-wide Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). The investigators have been called upon to provide training to many components of the SART including law enforcement, victim advocates, victim services and medical services. The procedures developed by this team became standard protocol for response to victims of sexual assault.
Crimes Against Property Unit
The Crimes Against Property Unit receives the largest case load of all our units. The unit has five detectives and one sergeant assigned to the squad.
The Crimes Against Property Unit investigates crimes like burglary, larceny, breaking and entering, and fraud. This unit has seen the need to dedicate more time to the investigation of white collar crimes involving credit card fraud and internet fraud. This unit was responsible for investigating a series of residential burglaries in the city. Investigators were able to identify two suspects and their arrests brought resolution to over 15 cases in the city and the outlying areas of Cabell County.
Forensic Investigations Unit
The Forensic Investigation Unit is staffed by one Lieutenant, one Detective and two civilians. These highly skilled detectives specialize in the areas of latent print identification, bloodstain pattern analysis, shooting reconstruction and footwear comparison. The detectives are responsible for the collection, analysis, documentation and interpretation of evidence in a wide array of crime scene investigations. They have been recognized in court as experts in these disciplines. By virtue of their experience and expertise, they are often sought to assist outside agencies in the processing of various crime scenes and the analysis and interpretation of evidence that has been collected.
In addition to their duties at the Huntington Police Department, each member of the unit serves as faculty and guest instructors for the Marshall University Forensic Science Program. They prepare students for the real-world application of their classroom instruction by mentoring students through their internship program. They also conduct exercises at the Marshall University crime scene house and mock court scenarios for the students.
Huntington Violent Crimes Task Force
The Huntington Violent Crime Drug Task Force is a multi-agency unit comprised of the officers from the Huntington Police Department, Barboursville Police Department and Special Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The main mission of the HVCDTF is to investigate and disrupt illegal narcotics traffickers, dealers and drug trafficking organizations. The HVCDTF also focuses on the investigation and apprehension of wanted and violent offenders. THE HVCDTF works in conjunction with the rest of the Huntington Police Department Criminal Investigations Bureau as well as numerous outside local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to further our and their investigations.
Criminal Analyst Unit
The Criminal Analyst Unit provides investigative support to the Huntington Police Department to assist with solving crimes committed in and around the city of Huntington. The unit is designed to assist patrol and detectives in solving crimes in a more efficient and effective manner. The Criminal Analyst Unit will also provide assistance to detectives for presenting cases to state and federal prosecutors. The unit has access to multiple tools that will be utilized to sharpen cases for presentation to prosecutors. Assisting with providing the detectives a finished product of discovery should provide a more accurate depiction of evidence against a defendant.