Overview
The Criminal Investigation Division (CID) investigates and provides investigatory assistance of a diverse assortment of crimes including, but not limited to; Auto Theft, Violent Crimes/Gun Crimes, Assaults, Homicides, Vehicular Assaults, Vehicular Homicides, Officer Involved Shootings, Threats against Public Officials, Identify Theft, Sexual Assaults, Fraud, and other general criminal investigations.
The Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is comprised of four sections:
- Criminal Investigation Units (CIU) and the Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT)
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Section
- Special Investigation Unit (SIU)
- Regional Auto Theft Units (RATU)
The SIU detectives are assigned to general investigations, identity theft investigations, and Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) investigations.
Key Measurements and Statistics
The CID auto theft task forces recovered 464 stolen vehicles and made 252 auto theft arrests. Statewide, instances of stolen vehicles in Washington State decreased by nine percent.
Overall, CID opened in 1,256 criminal investigations in 2019. The breakdown of the specific types of investigations is illustrated below in Figure 1.
Figure 1
CID detectives investigated or assisted in 327 felony fatality and serious injury collisions statewide, a decrease of 5% from the previous year. The main reason for the decrease is the statewide deployment of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) program, which allows FOB Collision Technical Specialists (CTS) troopers the ability to measure complex and large collision scenes independent of CID detectives. The UAV technology continues to provide efficiencies in both road closure times and the deployment of WSP investigative resources.
CID detectives also investigated 193 non-traffic criminal investigations, a 16% increase from the previous year.
CID detectives are important members of 13 multi-agency investigative teams statewide. These multi-agency investigative teams investigated suspicious death investigations, homicides, officer-involved uses of lethal force, and other complex crimes.
CID’s 17 VIN Officers completed 34,400 VIN inspections statewide, an increase of 26% from the previous year.
Successes of 2019
The division’s administration and detectives continue to explore, evaluate, and utilize the most advanced technologies within the investigative arena. The investigations completed by CID detectives continues to grow more complex each year and utilizing innovative technology allows them to be more effective and efficient.
CID, in partnership with the Field Operations Bureau, completed a statewide deployment of small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) technology in 2019. The agency now has 119 FAA certified sUAS pilots and a fleet of 130 sUAS units deployed throughout the entire state. Utilizing this sUAS technology during collision and crime scene investigations significantly reduces road closure time and produces superior investigative products. In 2019, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) recognized the agency’s sUAS program with a national award in the category of “Emerging and Innovative Technologies”. Read more about these awards here.