Investigative Services Division

Investigative Services
Assistant Chief John Velleca
(203) 946-2875

The Investigative Services Division consists of plainclothes detectives supplemented by patrol officers serving 90-day assignments from time to time. This division is required to assume responsibility for all felonies where follow-up investigation is required and necessary, any misdemeanors where a follow-up investigation is deemed necessary by the detective supervisor, and any other matter determined by the Chief of Police to be appropriate. Most Part I category crimes (Murder, Robbery, Sexual Assault, Burglary, Arson, Larceny, and Stolen Motor Vehicles) are investigated by the detectives in this division.

Specialized units within this division include Arson, Auto Theft, Bureau of Identification, Burglary and Robbery, Drug Court Liaison, Firearms, Fraud, Intelligence, and Narcotics Enforcement. Realizing cooperation and coordination among various law enforcement agencies is essential to reducing the level of crime and solving crimes where they do occur, the Investigation Services Division cooperates with other city, state, and federal agencies in investigating incidents utilizing task forces and other cooperative means. This division has 24-hour coverage, seven days a week.

Arson Investigation

Arson is a very serious and frightening crime. More often than not, arson is committed in an attempt at financial gain, and is not the work of a disturbed pyromaniac. Arson-for-profit tends to be the motive behind many fires investigated. In the late 70's, the City of New Haven developed a joint arson investigation team consisting of police, fire, and support from the state's attorneys office. Since then, the department has been committed to cooperatively work to combat arson through prevention, investigation, and prosecution.

New Haven is fortunate to have a professional team of anti-arson advocates from the police and fire departments who make up the New Haven Police/Fire Investigation Unit. Together, they work to combat arson through public awareness and attention to the crime, monitor the indicators of arson to prevent and successfully investigate fires, and aggressively prosecute arsonists who irresponsibly threaten both life and property. This unique group takes such a comprehensive approach to fighting arson that it has been recognized as a forerunner in the field and serves as a state and national model.

Auto Theft Investigation

In 1995, a Regional Auto Theft Task Force for the Greater New Haven area was reestablished under the supervision of the Connecticut State Police. New Haven has contributed to this effort by supplying two police officers to participate as members of the task force. Because the crime of auto theft knows no municipal boundary, the cooperation between state and local law enforcement has been essential in the success of the task force. Ongoing cooperation and involvement with our department's truancy initiatives has helped to greatly reduce the incidence of auto theft over the past few years. The task force continues to work on a variety of cases including unlicensed garages, insurance fraud, the theft of new vehicles from dealerships, and other related cases of vehicle theft and vehicle identification number alteration.

Bureau of Identification

The Bureau of Identification (B of I) is responsible for the assessment, collection, preservation, processing, documentation and investigation of all major crime scenes. Bureau of Identification staff consists of a supervisor and 7 detectives, the majority of whom are certified through the International Association of Identification. The unit is responsible for:

The analysis of narcotics and controlled substances seized by police.

The processing of all firearm cases and submitting evidence to the State of Connecticut Crime Lab under the Drug Fire** weapons tracing program.

Conducting and coordinating the reconstruction of all life threatening and fatal motor vehicle collisions.

New Haven's Bureau of Identification gathers evidence and processes scenes using state-of-the-art equipment and investigation tools available including forensic light source, forensic fuming tanks, digital cameras, computerized graphics and imaging, and laser trajectory for the reconstruction of ballistic evidence. The unit has a Mobile Crime Lab to bring the necessary equipment immediately on scene.

**Drug Fire is a state-wide program. In an effort to help reduce firearm violence, the department has assigned a detective full-time to support the program. As a result, New Haven contributes to and benefits from a centralized clearinghouse of information on firearms used in crimes, making it much easier to match evidence and track their origin and use. This coordinated information exchange has helped solve assaults, burglaries, and robberies among other crimes in the city.

Burglary and Robbery Unit

The Investigative Services Division dedicates seven full-time detectives to investigate the crimes of burglary and robbery. Unit detectives review all reported incidents of burglary and robbery and appropriate case follow up is designated.

Incidents are closely monitored for crime trends and patterns that may develop throughout the city. In many instances, when a crime trend is identified and determined to be a public safety issue, a notification process takes place at once with registered block watches in the neighborhoods. This action helps insure both citizen safety and public trust.

Pawnshop investigations play a significant part in comprehensive burglary follow-up. Detectives visit every city pawnshop to increase owner awareness and scrutinize record keeping. Maintenance of pawnshop information tracks stolen property and helps identify robbery and burglary suspects. If pawnshops are not in compliance with accurate record keeping they are forced to close. Pawnshop recovery has resulted in thousands of dollars worth of returned merchandise and numerous arrests. It is often through this process that burglary rings are uncovered and individuals apprehended.

PAWN SHOP RECOVERY
If you think you have spotted some of your stolen items in a local pawnshop you should take the following steps. First, tell the pawn shop owner that you believe the items are yours and ask that they be put aside so you can contact the police. Next, call the police non-emergency number at 946-6316 and request that an officer come and take a report. Tell the officer which pawn shop you found the property in and as much information as possible about the identification of the items, i.e. serial number, special marks, or in the case of jewelry, an inscription. The officer will in turn give the report to the Burglary Division in the Investigative Services Unit and detectives will follow through with the investigation. If the pawnshop insists on payment for the items, the police department will reimburse them.

For information about preventing burglaries, please click here: