2017 Annual Report
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INVESTIGATIVE OPERATIONS<br />
Investigative Operations includes Criminal Investigations and Narcotics,<br />
which is also known as the Fifth Judicial Drug Task Force. These units<br />
operate jointly.<br />
Investigations is responsible for investigating major crimes, including<br />
drugs, homicides, sex crimes, missing persons, domestic violence,<br />
robbery, burglary, online crimes, and arson. In <strong>2017</strong>, Investigations worked<br />
1,607 cases. Investigations continues to see a steady increase in cases<br />
each year. The unit also investigates Internet crimes such as child sexual<br />
exploitation and identity theft. Investigations also continues to work with<br />
ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) to conduct investigations<br />
pertaining to the protection of America’s children on the Internet.<br />
The Sheriff’s Office also handles all sex offender registration in Blount<br />
County. At the end of <strong>2017</strong>, there were 240 sex offenders residing in Blount<br />
County. A list of those registered on the sex offender registry is available on<br />
the Sex Offender Registry link on the Sheriff’s Office website at bcso.com.<br />
Crime scene investigators are responsible for the recovery of<br />
investigations of crime scenes. CSIs are important to any investigation.<br />
The tangible items of evidence and the descriptive information derived<br />
from crime scenes makes a difference between the success and failure<br />
when the case is brought to trial. The physical evidence plays a critical role<br />
in the overall investigation and resolution of a suspected criminal act. All<br />
crime scenes are unique, and CSIs use a step-by-step procedure to approach every type of situation. CSIs locate,<br />
recover, secure, and document evidence that will be examined by investigators and/or experts in a crime lab. CSIs<br />
also maintain AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System), which tracks fingerprints to identify latent prints<br />
found at crime scenes. Two of the CSIs are certified through the National Forensics<br />
Academy offerered through University of Tennessee, an intensive 10 week<br />
training course designed to help law enforcement agencies with evidence identification,<br />
collection, and preservation.<br />
The Sheriff’s Office has one full-time<br />
polygraph examiner who is certified<br />
through the American Polygraph<br />
Association and Tennessee<br />
Polygraph Association. In <strong>2017</strong>, the<br />
polygraph examiner conducted 80<br />
polygraph investigations.<br />
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