By Wayne Laepple
The Daily Item
January 07, 2009 05:50 am
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Local police regularly seek technical assistance from state police, but rarely turn over complete control of an investigation, as Sunbury police have begun to do.
"I can't tell you the last time we asked the state police to run an investigation," said Detective Todd Ulrich, an eight-year veteran of the Milton Police Department.
State police investigators offered to take the lead in the Carly Snyder murder investigation in Milton in June 2005, said Craig Lutcher, the borough's police chief.
"We turned that down," he said, "but we didn't turn down their assistance."
Milton police led that investigation, which resulted in the murder trial and conviction of Fredil Fuentes.
State police specialists have assisted in other investigations in the borough, Ulrich said.
"Forensics is huge," Ulrich said. "They have people who are experts in crime scene reconstruction, blood spatter, arson, things like that."
A licensed polygraph operator is another service provided by state police, Ulrich said.
The state police records and identification personnel and accident reconstruction teams have also assisted Milton officers on occasion.
Four or five Milton officers have training in crime scene investigation, Ulrich said, and the department is able to rent or borrow items such as infrared cameras, if needed.
Detective Sgt. Rick Faux said his Watsontown Police Department has no set policy when it comes to asking the state police for help.
"It's a case-by-case decision," he said.
In addition to state police, Faux said, the FBI, federal Drug Enforcement Agency or Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms personnel might be called in.
Chief Dennis Derr would ask for assistance, based on recommendations from Faux or other officers, Faux said.
The state police forensics unit might be called in to assist at a crime scene, or the accident reconstruction team might be asked to help determine what caused a traffic accident, Faux said.
"We rely on their expertise in situations like that," he said.
State police experts might be asked to lift fingerprints, make castings of footprints or tire tracks, Derr said.
"Once or twice a year, we might send some evidence to them or to the state crime lab in Harrisburg for processing," he said.
Watsontown and Milton police often cooperate on investigations, Derr said, because the two departments have experts with specific training.
Cpl. Lynnette Quinn, a state police spokeswoman at the Harrisburg headquarters, said if a municipality requests assistance, it will be provided.
"We will honor that request, no matter what," she said. "We're responding (to Sunbury's request) and we'll continue to do so."
State police are not subject to the state's hiring freeze, Quinn said.
"If a vacancy occurs due to a transfer or promotion, it isn't filled automatically," she said. "However, we continue to have classes go through the State Police Academy, and as they graduate, they will receive assignments to fill vacancies."
Sunbury Police Chief Steve Mazzeo and Mayor Jesse Woodring began discussing turning investigations over to the state police months ago.
Mazzeo said the decision was based primarily on the costs associated with many investigations. Homicides and attempted homicides can cost $20,000 to $25,000 to investigate, Mazzeo said.
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